Kingdom Hearts:Twisted Souls Part II: Convolutions
by MindReader13
Summary: Maleficent's chaos has begun to envelop the worlds and all the Keyblade wielders decide to take down her Hellfire Club one by one. But as the battle and conflagration becomes wider the heroes must recognize who is worse to the worlds in the end.
1. Synopsis

**Author's Note: Once again, I feel obliged to make this note here at the beginning of Part II in order to say hello again and give you some things to think about as well as welcome all of you who came back, back. I feel it will be necessary to start this story with a synopsis so as to better understand what is going on here and now. But first consider this:**

**As you read this story I would like for all of you to think about what it means to be a hero. What makes a man a hero? Is it being a man that makes a hero? Or is it the hero that makes the man? Are we all capable of doing such deeds so as to become a hero sometime in the future? Ultimately the questions will become this: what is a hero? And is Gentai a hero…or Sora…or Riku…even Kairi? We will explore this as Part II of the second story of The Existence Trilogy begins.**

**DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Kingdom Hearts but for many things that follow I kind of do own.**

* * *

Synopsis

_For the Mighty who have Fallen_

_For the Fallen who would be Mighty_

_And for those of us who would be Heroes in our Hearts_

_If not in our Homes and Heads_

_This is for Them_

_In the unwritten portion of The Existence Trilogy, prior to its events Gentai Tanaka is a boy living in the world of Agradar, six years following the events of _Kingdom Hearts II_. One day, as he goes to apologize to an old man on behalf of his friend he receives the mysterious Keyblade to aid him in battle. After passing out from a fight against Heartless the old man, more properly known as Hikaru, takes him in and begins to train him. Soon after this, he and Hikaru leave for Twilight Town where Gentai gains new clothes, meets new friends in Hayner, Pence and Olette, explores the Old Mansion, and eventually seals the Keyhole for the world. Meanwhile, Sora, Riku, and Kairi have set out on the quest to take on what seems to be a leftover member from Organization XIII. During this time, Gentai and Hikaru have defended Kuzcotopia from the reign of Yzma who attempted to bring Gentai into Maleficent for use of his power. Shortly after this victory however, Gentai and Hikaru are flung to opposite worlds by the black robed man._

_Gentai awakens to find himself in Agrabah where he quickly gets to know Aladdin. Very quickly he is entangled with the forty thieves and learns of Salouk's involvement with Maleficent. It is around the time of Agrabah's re-sealing, thanks to Maleficent's plan to re-open the Keyholes, that Sora is kidnapped for an unknown reason. Soon Gentai learns that the memories he receives from the Keyholes are visions of the Keyblade Masters who had been there and he also finds a way to use this to his advantage before teaming up with Hikaru and heading for the Land of Dragons. Upon a mission there the duo learn that Maleficent and the black robed man are in fact competing in interest over Gentai but neither are successful. Regardless, the two move on to Olympus Coliseum._

_Here they meet Auron and Hercules and eventually help to ruin Hades plan to take over the cosmos. Zeus offers to make Gentai a hero but Gentai wishes that he would like to figure it out for himself. Zeus agrees and they leave for Disney Castle. Due to a mistake on Gentai's part at the castle some problems arise and with the absence of the king, who is searching for Sora, Gentai cleans up the mess. Following this they head for Destiny Islands where Gentai seals the Keyhole. En route to Radiant Garden they are attacked by a Gummi Ship and are forced to crash-land in the Marketplace. Gentai is arrested while Hikaru talks with Leon but he soon escapes, finding his own way to Villain's Vale where he faces off against the inept Pete. Eventually the others find him but instead of arresting him they allow him to seal the Keyhole until an army attacks. During the battle, the Organization member is revealed to be Zexion, whose body reformed itself when the Riku Replica was destroyed. Knowing this, the duo leaves._

_Unfortunately, after this, they are both captured by Captain Hook who takes Gentai to the World That Never Was where Gentai refuses Maleficent's offer before returning to the _Jolly Roger_ and helping Pan do a bit of work on Hook. The duo escape for another day and seal many more Keyholes in the Hawaiian Islands, Monstropolis, and Atlantis. Following these adventures they are attacked once more by Radiant Garden. Here, however, they meet up with Riku and Kairi who are looking for Sora. The two join them and here many facts are revealed: Hikaru reveals that Gentai's heart is the only male heart with no darkness, and Hikaru is son to Ansem the Wise and Kairi's brother. Armed with this knowledge the three head for Port Royal where things take a turn for the worse. Davy Jones, who was working with Maleficent came under control of Beckett who was working for Zexion. After everyone rescued Jack Sparrow from the locker they soon went into battle after a meeting with the Brethren Court. During the battle the four companions battle alongside Maleficent and ends Zexion's plans for this world._

_Once they set out from Port Royal however they are attacked by a ship and land on the Vanishing Planet. Here they find and very quickly after free Sora before they are attacked by Zexion. Gentai is jettisoned far from the group and is forced to do battle with, and kill, his old best friend Tom, who is working for Zexion. He quickly returns to where the others are battling and learns at the last possible moment that Hikaru is in fact a Keyblade wielder himself. Soon after this he passes and Gentai flies into a rage against Zexion. Zexion is able to lightly fling him aside and proceed to exact his revenge on Riku but Sora gets in the way. Gentai once ore attacks Zexion and though he fails in beating him to death it appears that Gentai's strength of heart managed to somehow give Zexion a heart and thereby destroys him. Sora dies soon after that and Gentai blames himself for the death of the beloved Keyblade Master._

_Following directly after this in _Lineage of the Key_, Terra, a knight wielding the Keyblade is planning an attack on all the worlds. Upon sensing Sora's death he proceeds to make his way to Radiant Garden. Little known to his crew aboard the AWRG Class Gummi Ship _Unbirth_, Terra has been having strange visions about his past life from right before he turned to the darkness. Meanwhile, Kairi, Riku, and Gentai have returned to Destiny Islands in order to give Sora a proper funeral. On the morning of the funeral, Gentai heads over to Sora's house and bumps into a delivery girl by the name of Demora Suwara. Gentai finds himself immediately attracted to her but after she departs he convinces himself of having no relationships. He heads into Sora's house and here finds that before this whole fiasco, Sora had been planning on marrying Kairi. He takes the engagement ring and decides to hold on to it. Following this, at Sora's funeral Gentai pays his respects to the Keyblade Master before getting a sense of danger on the horizon._

_These feelings prove true enough when Terra launches a small attack on radiant Garden, destroying Villain's Vale without a trace. He then makes a demand to Leon and the others on the Restoration Committee to make no resistance of any sort while they wait for the wielders of the Keyblade arrive. And arrive they do, only to be captured aboard the _Unbirth. _Here, Riku, Kairi, and Gentai are led to Terra who is planning on razing the worlds with an army of Keyblade wielders…but he needs a general to do so. His reason: to purge the land of Xehanort's darkness that infested it long ago. The general he chooses is Sora who he reveals has a way of coming back. When a Keyblade Master is killed before their time their soul resides in their Keyblade in Sunset Horizons, ready to be released by a fellow Keyblade wielder. Thus, does Terra send Gentai on the mission to find Sunset Horizons where he could not. Soon after Gentai's departure, Terra throws both Riku and Kairi into the brig._

_Gentai flies to Destiny Islands where Terra had stayed for so many years watching over Sora and Kairi before he had left 11 years prior to these events to steal the ship he occupies. There he meets up with Demora once again and she leads him to Mount Destiny where they obtain a valuable clue that leads them to Twilight Town. Meanwhile, aboard the _Unbirth_ Terra has been following Gentai though he promised Gentai he would not. More of his past is revealed slightly which is causing his heart to slowly deteriorate due to the darkness. At the same time as this, Riku and Kairi both have disturbing, and possibly prophetic, dreams in the brig. Riku's consists of a castle decorated in blue with red eyes staring at him from the darkness and a voice that says "I didn't think you'd come, Riku." Riku is unable to identify whose voice it is before he sees Kairi's terrible dream fit and goes to her side. As it were, Kairi's vision consisted of a dead and lifeless Destiny Islands with thick mist swirling around the corpses and dead bodies and red-eyed creatures sucking in the mist that surrounds them. In order to comfort Kairi, Riku tells a story of his time with Ansem the Wise._

_Gentai has now arrived at twilight Town where he meets with Hayner, Pence and Olette who go with him to the computer room in the Old Mansion in order to find a way to get to Sunset Horizons. During his stay there he finds a book and learns about the history of the Keyblade Masters as well as the Keychains that are on their Keyblades. Shortly after this, he and Demora are attacked by Nobodies. They manage to hold them off long enough to transport to Sunset Horizons. After a small bit of trudging through the desert there they find the crossroads of Keyblades and fallen warriors. As Gentai is about to release Sora, however, Terra appears and reveals that Demora has betrayed him on threat of her parents' lives, who are now dead anyway. Upon this threat Gentai works with Kairi to bring Sora back to life. Sora refuses Terra's proposition and Terra traps the three in a web of light before resurrecting his army and taking Riku and Demora as collateral hostages. Gentai slumps down, angry that everything is his fault._

_At this time, Terra appears back in Radiant Garden and launches his war against their forces. They manage to bring forth a small task army to defend the world, along with Maleficent's Hellfire Club and Heartless (or whatever is left of them). They manage to succeed fairly well though Riku has immeasurably less luck as he faces off Terra and loses, only surviving thanks to the timely intervention of King Mickey and the Disney Castle Space Brigade. Terra finally emerges onto the battlefield as do Sora, Kairi, and Gentai who can now construct paths of light with their Keyblades to travel from world to world. They all join in the battle while Mickey duels and defeats Terra. This victory does not last long however as Terra draws upon his own darkness and the powers of the Princesses of Heart to bring them all to Kingdom Hearts. He is still defeated again and upon remembering his friends before all of this he ends his life by destroying a large amount of darkness within Kingdom Hearts. With battle concluded, Kairi refuses to become queen despite her heritage and departs with Riku, Sora, Gentai, and Demora back to the islands. Here, Gentai leaves Demora to travel with Riku and defeat Maleficent in the promise that he would return one day. Sora then proposes to Kairi in the hopes of spending the rest of his days with her._

_One year later in _Twisted Souls Part I: Adventure_ Gentai and Riku are hot on the trail of a mysterious figure who turns out to be the Huntsman of Fabled Countryside. Ironically, this is exactly where he leads them and after a skirmish with Heartless they find a new place to track him to. But aside from Riku and Gentai, it is the day of Hayner and Olette's wedding which both Sora and Kairi attend before the next day having nuptials of their own. Of course, their nuptials are cancelled as Heartless attack at the wedding and they must send all the guests home. Sora, Kairi and Demora then make the collective decision to set out for Disney Castle. Here they meet with the Disney Castle Court which consists of the king himself, Donald Duck, Goofy, Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, Professor Ludwig von Drake, Scrooge McDuck, Queen Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck and Chip and Dale. At this court they discuss the threat of Maleficent, how to possibly eliminate the Heartless for good and all and the damage that Riku and Gentai have been through over the year. They also then decide to split up and secure the Princesses of Heart so as to secure them. Little do they know that Maleficent has reformed her previously broken Hellfire Gang its members now consisting of Maleficent herself, Pete, the Huntsman, Morgana of Atlantica, Madam Mim of Medieval England, Royal Pain of Maxville, and the Horned King of Prydain (Hades has quit)._

_Sora, Donald, and Goofy make a quick trip to Agrabah where everything seems to be all right with Jasmine before they go to Beast's Castle and there learn that both Belle and Prince Adam are having a major trouble with Gaston. Gaston, unfortunately, gets control of the Heartless and leads an assault on the castle but they manage to defeat him in battle, his heart being devoured by Heartless. At the same time as this is occurring Mickey, Kairi and Demora have traveled to Radiant Garden to check on the Restoration. There, Leon forces Kairi to meet with her people and after making the acquaintances of Floyd and Emily of the Elderly Faction of the Restoration Committee things go quite smoothly. However, before long all three of the travelers and Merlin head to Medieval England where Mim is stirring up trouble. Here they meet Arthur and Kairi finally learns the art of Black Magic. The next day Mickey and Merlin leave from Camelot and defeat Mim in battle by piercing her through the heart. While that is happening not only do Kairi and Demora instruct Arthur in romance but also hold off an attack on Camelot, earning the respect of Lancelot. Shortly after this, the trio sets off for Enchanted Dominion._

_Meanwhile, Sora and the others are en route to Wonderland, after reuniting with Jiminy Cricket, when a massive Heartless fleet cripples their ship and sends them crashing down to the Land of Dragons. Here they meet with Mulan, Shang and the Emperor where they learn of a spy garbed in white who has been hiding in the mountains, known only as "The Flaming Edge". With the help of Mulan they travel to the Tung-Shao pass but are blocked by a blizzard. Sora nevertheless meets this spy but comes to the decision that he's not a bad guy shortly after he disappears. They return to the capital and the next day witness Mulan and Shang's wedding before they are attacked there as well. Thankfully, they manage to be saved by a mysterious figure. During this time however, Captain Hook attacks the _H.R.M.S. Pearl_ and kidnaps Kairi while fatally wounding her._

_In The New World, Riku and Gentai have been hunting the Huntsman there but due to his connections with Ratcliffe they are unable to touch him. After a recurring dream of Xehanort's possession and a talk with Gentai concerning the young boy's insomnia and his desire to be a hero, the two attempt to start a battle between Kocoum and John Smith. Regardless of their intervention, Riku fights the Huntsman, who leaves, and Gentai is captured. They are still able to save the world and follow the Huntsman back to the World That Never Was. At this point, Sora and the gang have reached Wonderland. After dealing with Alice crying in the Bizarre Room, the Mad Hatter and March Hare, and an obnoxious Caterpillar they meet the Cheshire Cat who tricks them and brings a Heartless for them to deal with. They succeed in defeating it and go back to the Gummi Ship, having secured Alice as a princess. Here they learn of Kairi's capture and make their way to Neverland._

_With the help of Peter Pan and his Lost Boys they are able to free Kairi and make the decision to drop Hades with a visit in Olympus Coliseum to find out who Maleficent's Hellfire Club members are. In Olympus Coliseum he meets with Auron and Zack Fair who help him to confront Hades who reveals the names due to his feud with Maleficent. Auron then joins the quartet on their side trip to take care of Morgana in Atlantica. At this time, Mickey and Demora have arrived in Enchanted Dominion where Maleficent returns the day after they arrive. With the help of Phillip they battle her (though they lose their steeds) and nearly fail until Riku and Gentai appear. The two of them explain what they've been doing in the past year after the battle and begin travel with the two to the Castle of Dreams._

_While they travel there, Sora and the others go to Atlantica where they search for Ariel's daughter Melody until a stroke of misfortune hits and they face off against an obscenely powerful Morgana who is defeated in battle and frozen. Melody causes the wall between her castle and the sea to disappear and the four return to the Gummi Ship. Sora and Kairi have a very terse conversation regarding the delicate subject of children on their journey before they reunite with Mickey, Demora, Gentai, and Riku at the Castle of Dreams. Soon after this reunion Pete attacks the castle and reveals that Maleficent is attacking the world of Agradar. They head there quickly but are too late to stop her as she uses her powers of darkness and a strange and altered duplicate of Xehanort's machine to turn the world into a charred heap of nothing, leaving the Keyblade Wielders and their companions battered and confused._

_Will Gentai seek revenge on the loss of his home? Will Sora and Kairi ever get married and what will their decision on children be? What will become of Riku with his dreams of Xehanort's possession? Who is "The Flaming Edge" and what is his role in the worlds? Will Maleficent be any more successful? And who is the worst enemy of the worlds: Maleficent or themselves?_

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Yes, while it is not _**really**_** new material it is vital and important and points out some things that I would like you to consider as you read this. Updates for this will come slower than before and as a note, this is NOT, I repeat NOT the finale of The Existence Trilogy but rather a second part to the story **_**Twisted Souls**_**. Think of it as like the second disc of a game or movie…mainly because we've hit one of many turning points. Regardless, if you've read my previous stories, click on to read Chapter 26: What Now? If you haven't…read my other stories please. If you're too lazy, then go on. You don't need to review this…but if you'd like, please do. Dare to Be SILLY.**


	2. Chapter 26: What Now?

**DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately I do not own it and probably will never own it.**

* * *

Kingdom Hearts

Twisted Souls

PART II

Convolutions

Chapter 26

What Now?

Convolutions: a complication or intricacy of form, design or structure (also twisting)

"_So what are you making me choose now?"_

-Riku to DiZ as he leaves Castle Oblivion

Gentai Tanaka stood, overlooking what was once the proud world of Agradar. His pain and grief almost went beyond tears. Almost. And yet, at the same time he could feel the moisture worming its way from his eyes. It had been hard enough to see the dead and lifeless corpses of his parents, the man and woman who had raised him from his very birth. But now he just felt empty…as empty as he had when Hikaru had died a little over a year ago. What was there left in his life now? Why did he have to endure such sorrow and pain?

Gentai crouched down near the ground and bent over the figures of his parents, now lying there as though in a peaceful rest. But even that seemed to be denied to them. Their bodies were now merely charred and scarred. They couldn't even have died unblemished. Tears began to at last spring from Gentai's eyes. He wouldn't sob, but he would certainly let the tears fall from his face unashamedly. There was no shame in grieving for those whose time had come.

Gentai's hands sifted through all of the charred piles and remains until he at last found what he was searching for…the two items he had not seen in over a year and desired so much to have. The first of these items was a small locket of his mother's that was tied around her neck. When he was younger and came into adolescence he remembered his mother telling him that one day that locket would belong to the woman he decided to marry, as a symbol of the love between and in their hearts. It was a simple gold locket, with some slightly fancy engraving on the front.

Gentai's fingers gripped at the opening of the locket and with minimal effort he was able to get it to open with a small hiss. There was no picture inside but merely an inscription. An inscription that Gentai had only heard once before…and it was not from his own planet. Still, the words seemed so far off and so foreign to him even as they sat in the palm of his hands. It was so small he could barely make out the writing but the words were there, plain as day:

_Thinking of you wherever you are_

_We pray for our sorrows to end_

_And hope that our hearts will blend_

But the saying ended there and continued no further in the words that Kairi had told him she said to Sora through a message in a bottle. Gentai curled his had into a fist, the locket resting inside of it before he gingerly placed it into his pocket, there to keep it safe for the rest of its days.

He next delved into his father's charred clothing and into the pocket of his jacket where his wallet had somehow survived the intense heat and malice that Maleficent's flames had poured forth, just as the locket had survived the raging and curdling flames from only moments ago. There was very little munny inside and all that sat there, that was of any true importance, was the picture his father had always kept for so long. Gentai cried a little more inside as he grabbed that picture, remembering the day he had learned about his father's possession inside of his pocket.

_"What's that dad?" the small nine-year old Gentai had asked his father, as he stored away the wallet after buying his young son some ice cream from a street vendor. The young boy had caught a glimpse of the multi-colored with a different appearance from munny or the rest of the wallet as the wallet had opened and closed. His father had chuckled and knelt down next to his son, staring him in the eye._

_"Gentai, son, you remember that day your mother and I took you to the photographer because we wanted a nice family portrait together?" his father had asked him and the young boy nodded, still not understanding where the flow of the conversation was taking them to. "Well, this is the picture we took." He took the picture out and showed it to his son. It really did show them at their best albeit, Gentai could tell he wasn't comfortable in that suit and he knew he never wanted to wear it again._

_"But why do you have it with you dad?" Gentai asked, confused as to why his father would carry around such a portrait of their family when he could see his son and his wife almost every single day._

_"Because…someday I won't be able to see you everyday, and neither will you mother. And for the times when we seem to be especially lonely we'll always have this picture to look at and remember just who our son is." His father had said this all rather proudly and Gentai grinned at him, knowing he made his dad very proud inside._

_"Don't worry dad, I promise I won't ever leave you!" Gentai said happily and his father chuckled before standing up and walking along the street, eating their ice cream._

"Looks like I broke that promise…" Gentai said to himself. He shook himself from his own reverie and took the picture, folding it up and placing it into the small inner pocket of his jacket. That was all he had left of his parents now…all he had left to remember them by. He wondered if they had ever thought of him as he had been gone. There was always so much fighting and all of it ended up being for absolutely nothing. Gentai truly did want to just break down and cry. There was nothing left in this entire world. So he closed his eyes and allowed himself for just a moment to remember what the world had been like when he had left it. What the world had been like before Maleficent came and destroyed everything.

He remembered Agradar in its entire splendor, the height of its technological revolution. The wonderful hover cabs that could take you from point A to point B with minimal effort on their part. Buildings that towered to the heavens and looked marvelous in their magnificence. The buildings had been of beautiful steel and metal with video display screens that were displaying some new type of product from the science department or elsewhere. Gentai almost wanted to chuckle at how good life had been for him, the people all united under one banner and flag. He himself had come from the small town of Epsilont on the planet, near the Racknic Range of mountains.

As his mind's eye surveyed the former planet he found him walking along the cobblestone paths of his own town. He thought of the wonderful government building located in the capital, and of the consul's chambers located to the north of the capital in Capitulon. He had only been there a few times on vacation with his parents and once on an airship with his friend Tom on their class field trip. But he also knew that the sight he remembered of the world was now long gone. In fact, he even felt to himself that if he tried he could probably feel the ground moving from underneath him, drifting pieces of the land apart.

Gentai stood that way for quite some time and it was only when he heard, or rather felt, the soft padding of footsteps behind him that he emerged from the world of blissful illusion and his eyes snapped open, once more taking a look at the horrible visage that reality had taken before him. He didn't have to look to know who was behind him, but he felt that he at least owed her that. He turned around slowly and gave Demora a look of despair. The tears that had flowed so recently were drying up at last, leaving his eyes puffy and red. Even his nose had a bit of a sniffle to it. The look that he could describe on Demora's face was nothing short of sympathetic, even empathetic. She gave him a very weak smile.

"Donald and Goofy are getting the Gummi Ship ready…though I don't know exactly what His Majesty wants to get it ready for or where we're going." Demora said and all Gentai could do was force himself to numbly nod in her direction. He no longer could feel anything inside of him. Demora continued to stare at him, her own tears beginning to form. "Gentai, I-"

"Save it." he said, but not forcefully. He rather had the tone of a man who had merely given up on everything. "I'll be all right."

"No you won't be." Demora said, and Gentai knew that she wouldn't believe a word he said for a minute. "You can never be whole again." Gentai turned away from her.

"You're right…I can't be whole again…not after this." They stood there silently as the wind whipped around them. In all of their surroundings it was the only thing moving through the world. The only thing that was changing no matter what…but even that seemed to have a dead quality to it. "It's my fault Demora."

"What is?" Demora asked, sidling up to the boy and placing a hand on his shoulder in a comforting fashion. Gentai could fear the tears now ready to come gushing out of his eyes.

"It's my fault they're dead. It's because I'm a Keyblade Master….it's because I wasn't fast enough." Gentai sobbed out, unable to contain his emotions anymore. "I can't help ANYBODY!" Gentai screamed in a feral rage and kicked at a piece of debris that was left on the ground. Demora could feel his pain and so moved her body and wrapped her arms around him.

"It's not your fault…nobody could have seen this coming." Demora said soothingly, trying to take the pain out of Gentai's heart. "Nobody could win against what the hag had planned."

"But I fell for it. Just like with Hikaru." Gentai slithered out of Demora's embrace and his knees collapsed to the ground. "I wasn't fast enough then either and I lost my mentor…the only person in the worlds other than my parents to treat me with any kind of respect."

"Gentai, don't blame yourself. Sometimes things are meant to happen." Demora said, her own painful memories gathering in her own heart, giving her strength to go on helping this boy. She sunk down to his level and kneeled on the ground. "It'll be all right."

"NO! It'll never be all right!" Gentai yelled, not believing the words he was hearing come from her mouth. "I've lost both my parents. The parents I was hoping to see at least one more time in my life. To hear their voices, to feel their touch. But now they're gone!" He buried his face in his hands, ashamed at his uselessness and his outburst. "You don't know how that feels." Demora looked at him in such a vulnerable state and once more wrapped her arms around him.

"I do understand…" Demora said in a hushed tone, trying to convey all the sadness and love into her statements. "Just remember, I lost my parents too. Terra killed them a year ago, and I…I thought he was going to let them live." Gentai looked up from his hands with an ashamed look on his face. But before he could say anything she just silenced him with her fingers and held him closely. "One day…we will live without fear, and without war…there will be no darkness, only light. And when that day comes…all of us will know what love truly is." And she sat there, rocking Gentai back and forth as the wind blew across the world of Agradar, comforting the man who had lost nearly everything in his life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There was an ear-splitting sound as four Keyblades pierced through the shiny metal exterior to the very heart of the machine. Only one Keyblade most likely would have done the job, but these four struck with a particular vengeance. Though revenge was not right for them in their book, they still needed some semblance of closure that their trip to Agradar had not been wasted with Maleficent's victory. And to them, the only way that this could possibly be achieved was by destroying the machines she had used to amplify the darkness to destroy Gentai's world.

All four withdrew their Keyblades simultaneously and with grimaces on each of their faces. Every single machine was now destroyed and gone at last. Sora dismissed his Keyblade from his hand before he felt Kairi leaning on his shoulder. She sat there and could almost feel a slight shiver run down Kairi's spine, no doubt from the sobs that threatened to rack her body. Sora stroked her hair, trying to assure her with that simple movement that everything would ultimately be all right. It was only a little over a week ago that he and Kairi were going to be married. Only a week and already so much had happened. Sora looked over at Riku who had no signs of tears, nor indeed of any despair; the darkness had, at last, hardened him, hardened him to the point that grief could no longer make him cry.

But inside Riku was raging. That darkness that for so long remained dormant in his heart was resurfacing. All of his anger and passion was leaping forth into the unbidden darkness within his heart. He truly wanted vengeance against the witch, if not for his friend's sake then for all the worlds. But Riku knew that if he let his anger control him, he would be no better than Xehanort, Xemnas, or Maleficent himself. Therefore, it fell that there was only one question to ask of the group at large.

"What do we do now?" Riku asked and Kairi picked her head up off of Sora's shoulders. Mickey gave a heavy sigh, filled with the grief and despair wrought only in the past few hours. He looked in turn to his fellow Keyblade wielders.

"Maleficent's evil has gone on long enough." Mickey said with the weight of the worlds heavily laced into his voice. "We need to do something about it." Sora nodded, the most determined look ever imaginable etched onto his face.

"You're right, Your Majesty. I'm tired of playing defense." Sora said, anger lacing his voice. "I think it's time we take the battle to Maleficent and her cronies."

"I agree with Sora." Kairi said. But she quickly decided to back up her reasoning to not run the risk that she just wanted to agree with her fiancée. "Think about it, running around trying to protect the princesses has done nothing for us but given more time for Maleficent to plan her attacks."

"Exactly!" Sora stated. "If we wait any longer, who knows what she'll do. We've taken out two of her members which leaves only four more and Maleficent herself."

"Well, I'd hardly suggest taking on the Horned King." Riku said with a scoff. "That guy is nearly as powerful, if not more so, than Maleficent. We've avoided going to Prydain as much as possible." Riku looked at his two childhood friends who were trying to think of who they should attack. They looked to him for a suggestion but he merely shrugged his shoulders.

"So who does that leave, then?" Mickey asked, trying to think of their plan of action himself.

"Royal Pain, and Pete…" Riku said with yet another shrug of his shoulders to indicate that he clearly didn't think that highly of either of them. But then the final member hit him in thought full throttle. "And…the Huntsman."

"Well…" Sora began, pondering nearly each word as he spoke it. "Royal Pain has been seldom seen or heard from so I'd seriously doubt that they're a problem. Pete is always with Maleficent, so that would require storming the Castle That Never Was. That doesn't sound good to me in our current condition." Kairi nodded her head as he said all this and as he finished his last statement all four of the beings there realized what was coming next.

"Then that just leaves the Huntsman." Mickey said with determination. Nevertheless, despite Riku's strength and unyielding bravery, the thought of going up against the Huntsman again was frightening at best. "You said he was from fabled Countryside?"

"Yeah…" Riku sighed out, not liking where any of this conversation was going. He looked to the diminutive king and seemed to see the cogs and wheels turning in his head.

"That's Snow White's world." Mickey said.

"But, Your Majesty, we don't even know if we'll find the Huntsman there." Sora said exasperatedly. He didn't want to be going on a wild goose chase for something that might not be able to be accomplished at the present time. Mickey gave Sora a wry smile.

"Nope, we don't! But it'll at least give us a place to start." Mickey said before he bounded off in the direction of the other four companions who were dutifully waiting their arrival. But after only a short distance he turned to them all. "But what about Gentai?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Demora's probably comforting him right now." Riku said, with a small, playful smirk. "It'll be useful to have him along." Mickey nodded and set off once again, Sora and Kairi following quickly behind in his wake. Riku chuckled a bit, though he did know that this was not the time to chuckle. Still, he couldn't help but look at the sky. The thing, the objective, he had dreaded for months to complete was at last here. Their party was hunting the Huntsman.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Yes, I lied, I'm back earlier than I had planned. But updates for this part of the story will come much slower than the past ones did so I won't have to bust my back to make my own quota of four chapters a week. I know this opening chapter was short but I believe that emotional moments and very intense action sequences should be in short bursts so as to preserve the flavor, if you understand what I'm saying. I hope you think I did well with the emotional moments here since I've always found those to be my forte (just wait for later…I think I'll have a field day.) Yes, they are at last going after the Huntsman. The first villain we technically met in the story is now on a one way train to an inevitable showdown. As for the lengths of my subsequent chapters, they will be short for a little bit but when we get to Chapter 5 things will pick up since I devote myself to completing a full movie in two chapters with added scenes of the Kingdom Hearts nature. Either way, in order to tide you over to my next chapter, this is the title, Chapter 27: Hunting the Huntsman. Now please review, and Dare to Be Silly.

**P.S. Feel free to give me criticism at any time, I really don't mind in the whole scheme of things...it makes it more exciting and allows me to improve as I go on. Not to mention that when I'm done with the trilogy I will take all criticism into account and fix up the stuff.**


	3. Chapter 27: Hunting the Huntsman

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Snow White...but I do own the fact that I did not put the next two chapters together in this one.**

* * *

Chapter 27

Hunting the Huntsman

"_They'll keep coming at you."_

-Leon

Shortly after the king had made his decision all eight of the companions were boarding on to the Gummi Ship. While the other six had been down below, eliminating the machines or comforting those who had lost something, Donald and Goofy had been busy preparing the Gummi Ship for travel to their next destination. When the others boarded they then stood by and at the ready for whoever was going to take the helm of the ship and be its captain. Seeing as they only had the Highwind now, due to King Mickey's autopilot of the _Pearl_ back to Disney Castle, they all needed to be fit aboard this one ship. Mickey explained their destination and the ultimate plan and then took the captain's chair himself. Everyone knew why: he needed time to think and to give others time to grieve.

Certainly, Gentai seemed at least a little bit better than he had immediately after the battle. Riku figured that it was due to, in no small part, the kindness and compassion (as well from an overwhelming sense of empathy) that was shown by Demora to the man she loved. Still, all of them decided it would be best to leave the sixteen year old Keyblade wielder to himself. The three friends withdrew to the kitchen where they could sit, and possibly talk, in peace. For moments the room was silent and it almost seemed as if none of the members sitting n the room were even breathing. Sora was, naturally, the first one to break the silence.

"So tell us about this Huntsman, Riku." Sora said, and Kairi looked at her fiancée, immediately understanding where he was coming from in this whole business. They had never met the Huntsman and though Sora usually never knew anything much about an enemy before he faced it down, this Huntsman was enough of a reason to give him pause if he had defeated two of the Keyblade wielders so easily in battle. Riku shifted his weight in his chair and put his fingers to his chin.

"He's a cruel man…" Riku said softly and it almost seemed as if a chill had settled upon the room as the conversation began. "Like Maleficent, he can control the Heartless, though he doesn't seem to know much of darkness. Years ago, on Fabled Countryside, before our time or the time of Terra, he let Snow White go, captivated by her beauty and by pity of her position."

"Why was he after her in the first place?" Kairi asked, wondering what could prompt such a man to hunt someone so innocent. Riku chuckled a bit.

"Jealousy. Snow White's step mother hated her for her beauty because she wanted to be the fairest in the land. So she sent out the Huntsman to kill her. I don't know many of the details that follow after the Huntsman let her go save for the fact that she married a prince and was, years later, captured by Maleficent. But of course, we all know _that_ part of the story." Riku answered them with a few over-dramatic waves of his hand.

"And how exactly do you know so much Riku?" Sora asked him with a slight smirk on his face. Riku returned the smirk, almost sneeringly.

"It was kind of my job, along with Gentai, to find out our enemy's history. We were only able to do so with the Huntsman though because the rest of them would have detected when we were on their world and would have immediately stopped us from snooping at all." Riku removed the hand that was resting on his chin and placed it on the table as he leaned back. "I don't think that the Huntsman really cared if we knew anything anyway. Maybe he even _wanted_ us to know…I don't know."

"How does he fight, Riku?" Sora asked with determination, wanting to know his opponent like an open book.

"I'm not sure exactly…he's never really fought to kill before, just get us out of the game for a while." Riku said. "He usually has hidden behind Heartless for just that reason…I don't think he really wants to fight just yet. I know he uses a crossbow but of the nature of those crossbow bolts I wouldn't know. I've managed to deflect those and the time that he was able to harm us; he used the darkness to change the crossbow itself. It was sharper around the edges and it cut us up pretty bad."

Kairi let out a feeble gasp, an image of one of her best friends bloodied and bruised and left to die emerging into her racing mind. Her mouth formed a solid O and she brought her hands up to her mouth to cover it. Riku chuckled a bit and shook his head, almost finding it funny that Kairi would be so worried about him…but he knew that if she had heard the same things were happening to Sora that she would just not talk at all because she would be unable to.

"Well…" Sora breathed out, relieving a bit of the tension in the room. "We can stop him if we take him together!" Sora pumped his fist into the air and both his fiancée and his best friend couldn't help but start laughing. Riku laughed the loudest.

"Ah…did I miss the good times like this the past year…" Riku said, reminiscing for a moment, or so it seemed, before he rebounded immediately back to reality. "Don't get me wrong! Gentai is a good travel partner, as good a one as I could hope for. I mean, he knows how to fight but…he can't cheer me up like you two can."

"And you've always needed cheering up!" Kairi teased and Riku, despite be more mature than either of them, stuck his tongue out at her. Kairi leered in his direction before Sora quickly intervened.

"Okay you two…you want to go at it soundlessly then we have to do an arm wrestling competition, no other way." Sora said with a certain detachment from the situation. Riku smirked at him a chortled a bit.

"But Sora…why would we do that? The competition would be completely unfair." Riku said, clearly believing himself to be the victor in this competition no matter what. Sora nodded his head understandingly.

"You're right. Riku…Kairi should use her weaker hand to give you more of an advantage in the situation…otherwise she'll wipe the floor with you." Sora said and Riku just sat back more in his chair and pouted, but he leaned back too much and fell out, toppling to the floor. Kairi and Sora were now laughing raucously, doubling up, and clutching their sides, howling with laughter. Riku sneered as he at last stood up.

"Way to kick a man when he's down." Riku said with a nasty grimace but both knew that he wasn't angry at them at all, but rather just the opposite. At last, Sora and Kairi were able to get themselves under control.

"Oh, you'll know when we're kicking you Riku." Sora said as his fit of giggles at last subsided. Riku finally sidled back into his chair and glared at his friends.

"What? Is today "Pick on Riku" day?" Riku asked scathingly and Kairi waved the matter away quickly.

"No…" Kairi answered. "Pick on Riku day was only a few weeks ago and the time before that, we were traveling around and so didn't have time to pick on you." Sora thumped his best friend on the back with his hand.

"That's right man, you're overdue!" Sora replied cheerily and Riku just rolled his eyes. He was annoyed, and yet he enjoyed the good-natured teasing…it had been so long since it had come to him that it was almost foreign. Maybe Sora had been right…maybe he had been in darkness so long that the simple things of life and light and love were almost lost to him. If his friends weren't around he would have gritted his teeth. _No…I'm not so far gone just yet…not now…not ever…_

"You guys are impossible!" Riku said throwing his hands up in the air and they just beamed at him…like no time had passed since they were five, when Kairi had first arrived. It was just the three of them, joking around like old times…like no veil of darkness had passed between them, cutting them off from each other…or smothering them like a dark blanket. The only thing that was missing now was him hitting on Kairi…but the darkness had even smothered that. In Riku's opinion he came to only one solid conclusion: his heart was no longer capable of love…seven years after he had thought the darkness had released its hold on him…it was still there.

Sora was about to give a retort to Riku's statement when Mickey's voice came over the intercom. "We're at Fabled Countryside, prepare to beam down, fellas." With that, their banter-filled conversation was at last at an end. All three solemnly got up from their chairs and left the galley where they joined their five other companions in the beaming room. Few moments later they were before a castle amidst all the fields and meadows.

"Another castle?!" Sora yelled out exasperatedly, clearly quite angry at (and tired of) the fact that whenever they'd visit the princess' world, they would visit their castle. But Riku chuckled and tapped Sora on the shoulder, pointing in another direction across the field where a woman was picking flowers. Sora smiled sheepishly at his slightly taller, silver haired friend and led the party forward. "Snow White!" The raven haired beauty turned in his direction and a great smile came over her face.

"Sora!" Snow White cried out jubilantly before she saw the diminutive form of King Mickey Mouse behind him. She gave a quick curtsey to the king. "Your Majesty."

"Where is he?!" Donald yelled, breaking up the not-even-started conversation and brandished his staff around. "Where's the Huntsman?!" Snow White gasped and nearly dropped her bundle of flowers.

"Oh, surely not! Not here again!" Snow White gasped out. All of the members figured that she must have had some new encounter with the Huntsman in his current state or else she would not have been so fearful of him. She sat down in the meadow as everyone stared at her expectantly. "I had sensed a disturbance in the light of this world not a day ago…and it worried me for but a moment. I passed it off as a slight coincidence…I had not expected to-to-" Goofy came over to Snow Whit and put a pair of hands on her shoulders while looking at her comfortingly. Riku was the first to speak.

"Do you know where the darkness originated from? Where it could be in this world?" Riku asked her and she managed to compose herself long enough to answer.

"That's what worries me…it was near the dwarves' house." Snow White answered and instantly, in both Riku and Gentai's mind flashed the unbidden image of a house down in a valley and in another direction entirely, an abandoned wood where they had once fought Heartless not long ago. Mickey glanced sternly at Snow White.

"Snow White…head back to the castle and stay there. You should be safe there." Mickey said and Snow White left without another word, Mickey ordering Donald and Goofy to go with her in order to protect her. They agreed without any arguments. "Riku, Gentai, do you know where this house that Snow White was talking about is?" They both nodded slowly.

"I can picture it clearly…but Riku can find the way." Gentai said with a glance to his partner in saving the worlds most recently. Riku nodded with some sense of grim determination and this time, he took the lead of the now six-member party. The journey didn't take remarkably too long thanks to the highly accurate and heightened level of precision with which Riku was able to lead them to the cottage. After that remarkably short trek they found themselves outside the home of the seven dwarves where not a single living thing was to be seen. Sora leaned in towards Riku.

"What do you smell, buddy?" Sora asked and Riku swatted him away, almost like a gnat as he used his power to probe the house. There was no scent of anything…at least, no scent that worried Riku. Oftentimes, if there had been a struggle, a fight, or even a slaughter, the remnants of said confrontations would settle so strongly onto his senses that there could be no doubt left in his mind…but this time it was all so eerily quiet.

"Riku!" Gentai snapped, and Riku's eyes did the same. He had grown to know what Gentai's tone meant and without another thought, he summoned his Keyblade. Everybody looked and both him and Gentai curiously, as to why they had their weapons out. The question was answered on its own before long when a fresh batch of Heartless appeared. It was mostly just the standard, garden-variety Heartless but the fact that they were here was enough cause to worry. Suddenly, everybody understood and brought their own weapons into the battle. Riku fired off a few shots of Dark Aura that cascaded upon the Heartless he was facing, destroying them effortlessly. In the meantime, he had sidled up near Gentai.

"This isn't like him." Riku muttered and Gentai nodded in understanding, as he spun around on the spot, swinging his Keyblade and cutting through the Heartless surrounding him.

"I know…this is too weak a batch to be sending at us…" Gentai growled when the realization hit him. "He's taunting us." And as he finished those words, the Heartless had at last been vanquished by the Keyblade Masters and Demora. Sora ran up to them.

"Are we getting close?" Sora asked and he saw Riku's set look and the view of nearly unbridled rage on Gentai's face. Clearly he had not yet forgiven the Huntsman for the tragedy to his home. Riku answered Sora's question with a simple jerk of his head up and down.

"Looks like we're _really_ close." Demora answered as piece of parchment that was slightly long and flowing came fluttering down from the roof. Kairi was the first to grab it. As Riku at last got a glimpse at it, he knew that Gentai was right: the Huntsman was taunting them. The entire group gathered around to read the parchment as it stated thus:

_My Dear Friends and Keyblade Masters,_

_Alas I find it so sad that we had to depart from our last encounter with such unfinished business. I know you have come to hunt me and you have come so far. And that is why I shall tell you exactly where I will be after you have found this letter after battling the Heartless._

Riku scoffed. The Huntsman was beginning to change the rules on them because he still wanted to play by his rules and his game. Still, if it could get them within enough distance of the Huntsman to destroy him then it would be worth it. Riku continued to read.

_I will be in the very same forest that both of you, Riku and Gentai, encountered me and my Heartless in not too long ago. However, it will be deeper in, near a cabin I have made in the woods. There we shall at last settle our differences if you so choose. Might I note, I am still keeping my word…one week (or slightly after) before we settle our differences and I deal with you, as I told you in The New World. That time has come. I await you._

_With Sincerity,_

_The Huntsman_

"Well that's awfully nice!" Sora said, sarcasm oozing into every strain of his vocal cords. But Kairi held up a hand.

"Wait a moment…there's a P.S." Kairi said and they all looked in one more time to read what it said.

_P.S. No members of the Disney Castle Court…even the king._

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Yes, I am SO sorry that I took so long (and that it's kind of short), and normally I don't take so long but this was the MOST BORING chapter to write (you can tell I feel very strongly about this). Also, complications arose, ensued, were overcome. In any case, there's really not much to say about this in my opinion other than I hoped you enjoyed my light banter. Ha! Lord Moldybutt, there's my version of Riku for you. Granted, our two Rikus are totally different and have been through different things while my Riku is older than yours by four years. On another cool side note, I've updated my profile page recently…not super big changes save for two things. 1) I now have a _**Psych**_** quote of the month which is an awesome TV show and 2) I changed **_**Fear of the Darkness**_** and its placement in my timeline…it will now be twelve years after this story rather than three. In the meantime, please review and Dare to Be Silly.**


	4. Chapter 28: Two Lovers Doomed

**DISCLAIMER: There's no reason to really put a disclaimer since we all know what it means and says in the first place.**

* * *

Chapter 28

Two Lovers Doomed

"_He can't be! I won't let him go!"_

-Kairi

There was a collective silence around them as the letter was finished being read. No members of the Disney Castle Court? Did the Huntsman not believe he could beat them unless Mickey was gone from the scene? It seemed highly unlikely…not even the king had ever faced him before in battle so not even he would know what to expect. But they had to decide now, or let the Huntsman slip from their fingers.

"I'll go back to the castle." Mickey said with grim determination although it was against all of his better judgment to not go. Sora shook his head, his spiky locks bouncing slightly.

"No. Your Majesty, there has to be some way to get around this." Sora said, slight anger bubbling in his voice. Anger that the Huntsman simply presumed that they would play by his rules. Anger over what had happened to Gentai's home. And anger that this whole business was starting to get far too much out of hand for anybody's comfort. But Mickey was resolute on the issue.

"Sora, we don't have much of a choice…" Mickey said with just a hint of sadness in his voice. But Riku chuckled a bit and both Sora and Kairi flashed him a look that could freeze the sun.

"What is it Sora? Afraid we can't take him on our own?" Riku asked, mockingly, almost goading Sora into the fight. Sora whipped around and shot him a look of rage and loathing that faded as soon as his eyes connected with his best friend.

"No…I just don't feel safe splitting up like this is all." Sora said concernedly, divulging his fears to the group at large. Kairi looked at her fiancée. Sora couldn't abide weakness, she knew, least of all in himself. But Sora was looking scared, and the honest truth was that she was scared too. She was scared that they might not make it out alive from this encounter. Scared of what was to come in the near future. And yet she was also scared of what the future would hold even _if_ everything turned out the way she wanted it to.

Both Kairi and Sora had begun to fear for their lives. To them, Riku and Gentai, even Demora, had become the pillars of strength in their group. Sora had never been one to give up ever…but watching a world truly be destroyed…beyond what even the Heartless could do to it was simply too much to bear even for him. He hated Maleficent more than he had hated Ansem…more than he had hated Xemnas. But he couldn't let hatred become his fuel and if that was all that was left in his heart…then there was much little choice left to him that perhaps he would have to sit the fight out. But he would not.

"The Huntsman wants us to play his game…and we have to play by his rules." Riku said with confidence, as though he was certain that victory would come to them no matter what. "If the Huntsman wants us to play, then let him play." Gentai nodded as stared at all of his companions and all of them saw the conviction in his eyes.

"Riku's right. We'll play by his rules and he'll be the one falling not us." Gentai said calmly, though underneath all manner of rage was bubbling. "If he wants to play we'll give him what he wants and he will die." Sora snapped a look to Gentai and was worried by the rage building there. He had never seen such rage save for one time eight years ago when he fought Riku in the entrance hall of the castle at Radiant Garden. And it worried him. He looked to the king who was also staring at Gentai for but a moment. Then he nodded his head solemnly.

"Gentai and Riku are right, Sora." Mickey said with a touch of sorrow. "As much as I don't wanna leave you guys…it'd be best if I inform Donald and Goofy and in the meantime we don't endanger our chances of defeating the Huntsman here and now." And with that argument, Sora knew that there was no way that he could win. He therefore allowed Mickey to run off to Snow White's castle at a rapid pace before he faced Gentai and Riku, both of whom had been here before. Demora gave Gentai a pointed look.

"So where's this wood anyway?" Gentai cocked his head up the hill and the group set off that way. When they reached the crest of the hill, they could see the forest only a small distance away. Riku now took charge of the group again and the five companions pushed themselves into the darkening thicket. Riku let his sense of smell take over as they began to search for the cabin and the Huntsman in the woods. Sora and Kairi fell behind, but not too far behind the group. Kairi could sense that something was wrong with Sora and she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Sora…what's wrong? You're unusually quiet." Kairi said in a slightly hushed tone and Sora looked at her with fear on his face.

"I'm scared Kairi." Sora confessed to her. She would have stopped moving at this proclamation if where they were going was not so important at this crucial juncture. Sora immediately knew that some kind of explanation was necessary. "I can't help but feeling like death has settled on this forest…I fear for our lives…" Kairi felt her hand slip off Sora's shoulder and into his hand. She clenched it tightly.

"I'm scared too Sora…but we'll get through this." Kairi said in a whisper to her fiancée and it seemed to reassure him for a moment, for a grin appeared on his face. He thanked Kairi with a kiss on the cheek and the two continued walking on.

Demora could sense the anger that was inside of Gentai at the current time. He had lost so much already…she didn't want him to lose anymore if she could help it. But she knew that if he let his rage blind him, then it could all be over, very quickly. She sidled up to him and smiled at him comfortingly. He returned the smile and allowed their hands to knit together. In front of the two couples Riku could sense this and the knot in his stomach tightened considerably. This was just one of those moments that he hated…when everyone else seemed to get together and he was left alone.

It was, of course, true that he had been quite the ladies' man during his last two years of high school when he at last returned from the adventure. But wasn't that just to fill the gaping hole in his heart? He had always been alone, and he was convinced he always would be. He would have chuckled as he cycled through the enormous list of girlfriends he had had in the past. Even Kairi was on that list when he and Sora had started some strange world-saving business that resulted in them stumbling onto various conspiracies and cat saving. Kairi had gotten suspicious of Sora and broke up with him right before their junior prom. The funny part was that she had hooked up with him and that was when the dream and the chase had come to an end. In all reality, the saying "the chase is better than the goal" truly applied here, for he realized he no longer wanted Kairi anymore. And she realized that she wanted Sora.

The darkness deepened and Riku could sense the source of it all just up ahead. He quickened his pace and the others followed after until they saw it. The cottage was sitting there, lone and desolate, and the man standing outside offering no more comfort than his home. All the Keyblade wielders at last summoned their Keyblades and Demora brought out her katana. The Huntsman held his crossbow in a relaxed position with a slight smirk on his face.

"You came without the king…I'm impressed, you actually complied with my rules." the Huntsman said with a sneer and Riku held his Keyblade out, pointing it straight out at the Huntsman's heart.

"You know why we're here…now let's finish this!" Riku said and with a feral roar, he bolted out a shot of Dark Aura at the Huntsman. The Huntsman responded by holding his crossbow in front of him like a shield. The darkness surged around it, and Riku could almost sense it seething into his own brain before the Dark Aura hit and was dispersed.

"Your feeble magic attempts work not on me…I know more about the darkness than you do." the Huntsman said and he began to pace around. "You forsook the darkness, and look what you've become Riku. A being who stands in the twilight, knowing not light or dark but a sense of nothingness…a sense of being empty." Riku had a sharp intake of breath at the statements and the Huntsman chuckled even louder.

"You know nothing!!" Riku yelled loudly, trying to convince himself as much as anyone else.

"Do I now?" The Huntsman said as he set about circling the enclosed group like a tiger about to devour his prey. "Were you not jealous of your friend, Sora? That he held and received all you held dear while he did nothing and you were constantly striving for it. You turned to the darkness in an effort to save that. You gave your heart and your being to that single moment and now look at you!" Riku grimaced as pain blossomed in the scar across his back, but he held it in. There was a stirring of restlessness and darkness in his heart. Was he in pain from the darkness that remained there? Or was it because everything the Huntsman was saying was true? "You're a hypocrite! Despising the darkness and debasing we who advocate it while you are nothing but a part of it. You belong to the darkness Riku!"

"You're wrong!" Sora snapped, in defense of his friend and the Huntsman looked at him. "You're wrong…Riku may have done all that in the past but that isn't who he is now."

"Is it? What is he then Sora, but the man who tried to take everything from you? Would not swear vengeance and retribution for these actions he's taken against you?" the Huntsman said, almost tasting a victory on his tongue. Sora just held his Keyblade aloft, pointing it at the Huntsman.

"Shut up! Your words are twisted!" Sora said with a look of such pure venom, the Huntsman was almost surprised he did not die from the look there.

"Don't you understand? You've all taken things from each other, so why fight me? Fight each other!" the Huntsman turned towards Riku with a smile on his face. "Maleficent will still welcome you back as if you were her child." Riku looked down at his shoes for a moment and it would seem to a passerby that he was actually considering her offer.

"You can tell Maleficent to…" Riku jerked his head up. "Stuff it!" He leapt in the air at the Huntsman, who had stopped circling and he leapt backwards. He fired off a crossbow bolt at Riku but Riku deflected it with the Keyblade. He wasn't so lucky on the second one that he didn't notice being fired. Luckily, it didn't hit him as Sora jumped in front of it. For the most part, Sora directed it away from his chest but it split off and drove into the calf of his leg. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground.

"He's even a nuisance to you in battle!" the Huntsman cried. "Why not be rid of him?" His words were beginning to escape from his mouth in a hiss, as though trying to be the snake from the Garden of Eden. "He has taken so much from you, so why not fight him instead of me?" Gentai stood in front of the two Keyblade wielders, one of whom was on the ground and held his Keyblade to bear.

"Because you've taken so much more from us…" Gentai seethed in anger and he changed his Keyblade into an offensive stance. "And now you're going to pay!!!"

"I think not!" And without warning he fired three crossbow bolts at Gentai's heart with extraordinary speed. However, Gentai swung at them too early in a fit of rage and had no time to bring his Keyblade back up. He knew he was doomed and he closed his eyes and waited for an impact that never came. The only sound he heard was the faint squeak of someone in front of him. He opened his eyes and saw yet another terrible scene in front of him.

Demora was lying on the ground, three crossbow bolts that were oozing darkness, embedded in her heart. The Huntsman a small distance away, staggered backward. He had not wanted to kill the girl…she had nothing to do with this. But his shame caused him to open a dark portal from behind him and disappear. Demora was breathing heavily and her breaths turned to wheezes. Gentai hurriedly extracted the crossbow bolts from her.

"No…Demora, hold on. I'll save you." Gentai pointed his Keyblade at her chest. "Heal!" A green light shone at the tip of the Keyblade and shone around Demora's wounds…but the wounds wouldn't close. The darkness had already delved to deep. "Heal!!!" He tried again but only with the same result. "HEAL!!!" Once more nothing happened as the life began to fade from Demora's eyes. With the last ounce of her strength she reached her hand up and stroked Gentai's chin.

"Make these worlds…better than they are…" she said in her last breath, before the warmth left her skin and her hand dropped uselessly from Gentai's face to the ground. Sora, Riku and Kairi were forced to watch as Gentai leaned over her body and hugged it…having now lost the last, most important things in the world to him. They wanted to comfort him…but perhaps leaving him alone was the best choice.

But Gentai wanted to scream in anger to the skies. He wanted to cry a river that could never dry in his lifetime. But most of all…

Gentai wanted revenge.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Yes, I will leave with that very sad moment for the weekend. Don't worry, we'll take care of the Huntsman next chapter. As you can see, the Huntsman actually does feel remorse and that is very important. Still, watch Treasure Planet because we'll be getting there very, very soon (2 chapters about). I hope you, for lack of a better word, enjoyed this chapter and please tell me if you're pissed with me, happy with me, or waiting on tenterhooks to see what will happen next, in a review. Dare to Be Silly.


	5. Chapter 29: Retribution

**DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Kingdom Hearts...**

* * *

Chapter 29

Retribution

"_Revenge."_

-DiZ, regarding what he wants

The dark portal opened in the old queen's castle in Fabled Countryside and the Huntsman stumbled out of it, gasping at his sides, not in pain but in anguish over what he had done. he had told Riku he understood the darkness more than he ever had and yet here he was…crying over the death of poor girl who did not have to die. What more was he going to have to do in order for victory to be theirs? The Keyblade wielders were nothing…they were the threats, but that girl…

His ears perked and twitched as he felt another portal open in the room amidst all of the ripped and torn paintings, the dimly lit walls where sunlight barely shone throne, and its cold stone. He made no move to acknowledge that Maleficent was indeed there, watching him. His hand was raised to his face as he vainly attempted to wipe the tears from his eyes over what he'd done. But Maleficent had seen…and she knew exactly what was happening to the Huntsman.

"Why do you feel such pain?" she asked him and he nearly threw her a loathing look, if he were not afraid of all the consequences that might follow if he did so.

"Maleficent," he spat, nearly throwing in distaste for the name. "You know perfectly well why I'm feeling this way! She was an innocent girl; she posed no threat to these worlds or our plan! Just as Snow White was blameless for her beauty so long ago, so it is with this girl!" Maleficent snickered at the Huntsman's comment.

"You misunderstand then." Maleficent stated simply, a flicker of the most dreadful malice contained in her smile. "That girl was an anchor to the boy…without her, he will most likely founder amidst the waves of fate."

"So that's it then…" the Huntsman said, beginning to quake with rage and hatred. "She had to die because she loved our enemy…a trait that neither of us have!" Maleficent cackled a bit and the Huntsman was sure it could ring across the entire world…and yet it had seemed that she did not care.

"Why should we love?!" Maleficent snapped incredulously. "Love makes the heart weak, unlike what those pestilential fools believe…it is no more than an illusion to carry our hearts to unprecedented heights…an emotion which let lives some, and crushes the rest!"

"What do you know?!" the Huntsman roared, all sense of pride, dignity, and composure forgotten. "Maleficent, every decision and every action you have had me taken has led me further and further away from what I was or have been!"

"One must change in times of war." Maleficent stated with simplicity and a wicked smile on her lips. "As I remember, you accepted that change wholeheartedly when I first offered it to you. Why should now be any different?" Maleficent leaned into the Huntsman and her long, nearly blood-colored nails stroked his face. He tried to shy away from it, repulsed by the sorceress. But Maleficent held him fast and spoke into his ear in little more than a whisper. "They will come to you…and when they do, crush them…and start with the boy, then I shall give you a place in my hall when I rule all the worlds."

The Huntsman finally broke free of her grasp and turned away. Maleficent chuckled a bit and then disappeared through a new dark portal. The Huntsman had been left with yet another task to perform in the name of Maleficent…but all he felt was remorse.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The burial was short and simple for Demora…they had no time for anything else. Sora used his power and knowledge of magic to dig the whole where they laid her in the forest. Gentai had been too broken to dig the hole for her, though his veins were coursing with a rage and fury unimaginable. When the silent vigil was at last finished, Kairi hugged Gentai in order to comfort him. Meanwhile, both Sora and Riku sat aside in order to heal Sora's leg where it had been pierced by the Huntsman's deflected crossbow bolt. Riku bent over it himself as he set to extracting it so that Sora could heal it, and as he did he thought.

Sora had stood up from him. Even amidst all of the accusations that the man had made about his darkness, Sora had still been there for him. Was that always how it would be? That even when all the light had faded from his heart, Sora would still believe and fight for him. It almost pained him to have such a friend by his side.

"Sora, I…" Riku began after he just finished taking out the crossbow bolt from his leg. Sora grunted in pain as it was removed and immediately set himself to the task of healing his leg, ignoring Riku's comment. When at last, the wound was sealed up as best as it could be, Riku helped Sora stand up. "Hey Sora…"

"Forget it Riku. What's done is done." Sora said with a smile on his face but Riku could tell that perhaps now was not the time to talk about such things…Or rather, Sora was still in a slight amount of pain and was trying to do his best not to focus on it or let it be known to the rest of the group. Sora had to be the new pillar of strength for the group. He turned with a grimace, to face Riku. "Can you sniff him out?"

Riku bowed his head, and without a word, allowed his senses to be filled. Sora's heart was there, a faint amount of darkness but his light shining brightly, and the two hearts of pure light a short distance away…though something seemed slightly off with Gentai's. But he let it slip past his mind, it wasn't important right now. His scent expanded in the opposite direction from whence they had come, knowing that the Huntsman would not dare to go that way. It took very little searching.

"He's here…he must be in a building to the east." Riku said, his finger pointing in a direction that led to a lighter portion of the forest. "I guess we're going to take him down now, huh?"

"I think he's caused enough trouble already." Sora said, his features contorting into a face of anger…though there was no rage filling his eyes. Riku nodded and it had almost seemed that both Gentai and Kairi had at last realized what decision the two men had come to. Gentai seemed to be filled with a bit more calm than he had before and nodded his head solemnly. Riku therefore, led the group forward, quickly and silently.

No one in the group knew how long they had been traveling for…they only knew the fact that their final battle with the Huntsman was fast approaching. No words needed to be said. The pain that they all were suffering was running rampant in their hearts. But Sora, most of all, knew that they couldn't let it get into their head. After all, he knew the age-old saying: "Once it gets into your head, you lose." That's why he always had the strength to keep going…even if Riku had turned against him, or Kairi had been kidnapped. He had to let those thoughts remain in his heart but not cloud his head.

Sora's head looked up as the bottom of the sun seemed to touch on the horizon. Sunset was coming on fast and as Sora saw, so was the castle. The group was now only a short distance away from the castle and before long they had reached its doors, slightly rotted from old age, but still primarily intact. Kairi tried to open them but found them to be locked. Sora said no words and summoned his Keyblade, unlocking the doors quickly. They swung wide and admitted the party to the abandoned and hallowed halls. They had not made it very far into the entrance hall when they found the Huntsman there. However, unlike the last time, his back was turned to them.

The other three members of the party summoned their Keyblades as a precaution. Sora eyed the figure of the Huntsman warily, wondering why he had not yet said a word. Gentai jerked slightly behind him and Riku suddenly tensed up. Without warning, the Huntsman turned around fired off three crossbow bolts. Sora easily parried all three of them before firing a chunk of ice at him. The Huntsman merely raised his crossbow like a shield once more and blocked it.

Riku took this moment to pelt him with a few dark aura shots which the Huntsman, much to their surprise, deftly blocked. Kairi ran forward and attempted to take a swing at the Huntsman but he blocked it easily, however, not without a small grunt. He then lashed his le at Kairi who barely avoided it, only to have the Huntsman open fist connect with her stomach, sending her reeling backwards. Sora could almost sense the darkness at work as the crossbow changed and he lashed at Kairi. She managed to evade the brunt of the blow but part of the weapon nicked her wrist. Sora knew that she couldn't hold on like this forever and so he Quick Ran forward and blocked the crossbow with his Keyblade. The Huntsman whipped around and with a blunt edge of his altered crossbow he hit Sora on the side, causing him to double back. But the Huntsman would not be denied in putting Sora out of commission for a little. He jerked his crossbow up a bit and sliced across his cheek.

Blood streamed out from the cut and Sora grasped his cheek in pain. He stumbled backward just as Kairi leapt back into the action. She summoned a ball of light on the tip of her Keyblade and sent it flying into the air, where it dispersed into many different balls of light that surrounded and homed in on the Huntsman. He snarled a bit and flicked his hand upward. Instantly, a great wall of darkness arose to shield him from the barrage of light. But as soon as he dropped it, Riku came hurtling out of nowhere. The Huntsman twisted around and blocked his blow with a growl.

Riku leapt off of the Huntsman and fired off three shots of Dark Aura while rushing at him. This time the Huntsman merely evaded them before shooting multiple crossbow bolts at Riku, which he easily reflected with a Dark Shield. Nevertheless, the distraction bought the Huntsman enough time to recuperate before Sora came rushing at him, blood streaming from his cheek. He took a half-hearted blow at the Huntsman who dodged it and launched a roundhouse kick which sent Sora into Kairi, toppling both of them over. Riku gave another rush at the Huntsman but he waved his hand and a great wall of darkness was erected. He then pushed it forward and it in turn pushed Riku back until he was sprawled on the ground.

Riku looked up at the Huntsman as he walked over to them but could find no hint of a smile on his face, nor any idea that he had enjoyed the skirmish they had just had with him. In fact, it almost seemed as though there was sadness as he loaded his crossbow in preparation fire the fatal blow to Riku's heart.

But then there was a flurry of color as Gentai sailed out of nowhere, his Keyblade swinging with an unimaginable fury. The Huntsman was barely able to get his crossbow up in time. But he had had no time to change it and the crossbow was shattered upon impact. Gentai swept his leg around and knocked the Huntsman over before kicking him across the hallway. He then held his Keyblade to the Huntsman's neck as the trio of companions behind him began to get up.

But Riku sensed something different in Gentai's heart now. Gone was the feeling of the boy who knew what justice and kindness was…replaced by a man who was angry and wished for vengeance at all cost. The Huntsman attempted to stammer something out but with a cry of feral rage Gentai smacked his Keyblade across the Huntsman's head and blood began oozing out. He held up a hand.

"M-mercy! Please, I beg of you!" the Huntsman cried and all in the hall but Gentai could tell that he meant it with every fiber of his being. But Gentai's face was just one of twisted rage.

"MERCY!!!" he roared and all three of the companions knew that something was wrong. "Mercy?!! Like you showed my friends?!" He hit the Huntsman again. "Like you showed my parents?!" Yet another hit came, cracking the Huntsman's skull. Blood began to trickle out of his mouth but Gentai did not notice or care. "Like you showed my world?!" Once again he hit him, more force behind the blow despite the fact that the Huntsman of Fabled Countryside was already dead. "Like you showed Demora?!! I will show you no MERCY!!!" He roared and with a final feral roar, he stabbed the perished Huntsman through the heart.

All of the companions stared at Gentai as he drew his Keyblade from the Huntsman's body. But the body did not disappear and remained, blood staining the floor, as a testament to Gentai's actions. All of the breath in the place was being held…Gentai had gone too far in what he had done. Sora took a step forward.

"Gentai…" he breathed but without looking at them, he held his Keyblade out, pointing at them. Riku took a sharp intake of breath as he sensed the rage swirling around Gentai. "What did you do? This isn't what we do…"

"Shut up!" Gentai snapped, no longer caring anymore. "You're as much a cause of this as he is!" Kairi stepped up next to her fiancée with a look of disbelief on her face.

"You don't mean that Gentai…" Kairi breathed and he shot them the deepest look of loathing.

"No…I do…very much so." Gentai breathed out and all watched in horror as Gentai's black and white Keyblade inverted itself in colors, turning itself blacker. "If you hadn't fought Maleficent, if you hadn't angered her, she wouldn't have done this to me!"

"You know that's not true!" Sora yelled in protest but Gentai had no more ears for him.

"No…it's over, I will destroy anyone who had a hand in the atrocities I have suffered…and the worlds will know fear!" Sora and Kairi stepped back, as blood continued streaming down Sora's cheek. Riku took his own tentative step forward.

"I never thought I'd hear those words from you…" Riku said. "I've heard them from a lot of other people…but never you…"

"Oh shut up Riku, you're just as much to blame." Gentai said with venom piling behind every word.

"Then you leave me no choice." He summoned a dark aura quickly in his hand and let it fly at Gentai but he easily blocked it. Riku ran at him and leaped in the air, swiping his Keyblade downward but Gentai ducked to avoid it. He then did a slight flip and kicked Riku in the gut, knocking him to the floor. Gentai then held his Keyblade in front of him and opened a portal.

"You'll not be able to follow me with your scent any more!" Gentai then turned to enter the portal. Sora and Kairi were still frozen in shock as Gentai turned slightly towards the party. "I'm tired of playing the hero." And with that he walked into the portal.

The portal closed and the light at last disappeared into the now deepening darkness of the castle. And with it, so did their only hope in all the worlds for a better future.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Okay, do not tell me you did not see that coming! I mean, the title of the story IS _**Twisted Souls**_**. After all, while I love character deaths (i.e. Demora), a character falling from grace is so much better (Anakin Skywalker in **_**Star Wars**_**, Harvey Dent in **_**The Dark Knight**_**, Kratos Tidalithan in **_**Magician**_**-oops, that's my own story…). Although, I admit, that's the cruellest that I will be to the characters for a few chapters, I promise. To clear up a fact, Gentai's heart still has no darkness in it despite the decision he just made. Yes, that will impact the rest of the story from here on out (now do you see why it's two separate stories?) Go on, bring on the yelling, I'm ready for it, but I built it up to here and I'm not about to change that. I hope you enjoyed my battle with the Huntsman as well as his discussion with Maleficent at the beginning. Yes, next up we go to **_**Treasure Planet**_** plotline!!! Also, as part of my emotional development for characters on that section I will further explore a subject I brought up in Part I, but I'll leave you to guess what that is. A thank you to Crazyfrog41 for reviewing. Please review and leave me your thoughts, and until next chapter, Dare to Be Silly.**


	6. Chapter 30: Searching for Gentai

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Treasure Planet, or Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. So you all know what that means for this chapter...**

* * *

Chapter 30

Searching for Gentai

"_One legend says its wielder saved the world, while another says that he wrought chaos and ruin upon it."_

-Ansem's Report 8

Bedraggled and beaten, the three companions trudged off towards the castle where their other companions were awaiting their arrival. The encounter with the Huntsman had surely ended in a victory over Maleficent…but it had left a bitter taste in their mouth. Sora felt the side of his cheek and rubbed it as they walked. He had healed the cut that the Huntsman had made on his cheek but it left a slightly visible scar that stretched slightly across his face. Riku, however, was the most forlorn. He had traveled with Gentai for a year and now…this had happened.

It was near midnight that the trio arrived at the castle and was immediately taken in. Mickey noticed something was wrong the moment that they walked in, but didn't press the matter as they were too torn. And so he let them sleep that night. When they woke in the morning they felt slightly better, but not enough to cover up the bitter aftereffects of the day before. They were eating breakfast in the hall silently when Mickey finally approached them.

"I'm guessing the Huntsman is gone." Mickey said, only slightly cheerily for he knew something was quite off. The three friends solemnly nodded as Donald and Goofy entered the room, taking a cue from the king and not bursting out into their normally talkative states. "Where're Demora and Gentai?" Sora cleared his throat and put a hand on Kairi's shoulder as he watched her choke back tears. Therefore, it was Sora who had the courage to speak up first.

"Demora's dead, Your Majesty." Sora said with as much audacity as he could muster. Mickey stepped backward in shock. He had traveled with her for almost a week, had almost gotten to know her as a friend…and the thought of hearing that she was dead was just about too much to bear. The look on his face prompted Sora to explain all of the details. "She threw herself in front of Gentai to save his life from the Huntsman and paid the price with her own life…"

"But what about Gentai?!" Mickey asked urgently, fearing that the worst had befallen the youngest Keyblade wielder. But nobody said anything for a few minutes before Riku was the one spoke up.

"He's turned against us." Riku stated simply and a completely hushed silence filled the room. Mickey looked at his fellow Keyblade wielders and saw the looks of despair on all their faces. Then he came to a decision.

"Then we have to go after him!" Mickey proclaimed. All of the members in the room shot a glance at him, believing him to be mad or thinking that there was no way they could possibly track him. "Right now, Gentai's more of a threat than Maleficent and if we take the Gummi Ship and scan for darkness and light balances on all the worlds then we should be able to find him easy!" Mickey proclaimed and no one had the heart to argue with him.

Therefore, as soon as Sora, Riku and Kairi had finished their breakfasts, they gathered round the king of Disney Castle and he beamed them up to the Gummi Ship. Donald remarked on Sora's scar and Sora joked around with him briefly before leaving his friends to go with Mickey to the cockpit where he decided he would take over flying the ship in order to get his mind off of the recent tragedy. He smiled to himself as he sat in the captain's chair. That was what he would do…after his first visit to Neverland, after Radiant Garden and the Battle of Hollow Bastion, he would sit here and empty his head of all the dreadful thoughts filling it and become inexplicably cheery in a way that was not a lie to himself or anyone else.

As he sat in the chair he pulled up the star map and both he and the king examined it carefully. They debated for a few short minutes as to what place they should probably go first and they seemed to agree that heading back to Agradar was probably the best choice as Gentai would most likely go to the site of where he had lost nearly everything. So it was that soon after that they had taken off at last. Mickey pressed Sora for more details on the subject and Sora found himself actually happy to give them as it emptied his mind of thoughts about the past and allowed him to fill himself with happier feelings. In fact, he had become so happy from just letting his previous feelings run dry that he was at last able to relax on the Gummi Ship and lean back in his seat.

The lull didn't last for long. They had been traveling for only a short amount of time when something rocked the ship. Sora flung forward in his seat and started examining the ship and its engines. The door behind him slid open and Riku and Kairi ran in, Donald and Goofy trailing behind them only slightly. Donald was shifting a pack of cards back into his pockets and Sora knew that the four had been playing Hearts to get their minds off of the matter.

"What's going on?!" Donald squawked as Sora pressed up a button to bring up a wider viewing screen. Sora saw a great blue ship circling around them. It didn't look like any ship that Sora himself knew or had ever seen before. Even the symbol that was etched on its hull was strange and unfamiliar…though it seemed to be very similar to the Heartless emblem. Regardless of this strange fact and development, Sora knew they had no time to meander about and immediately brought the ship into evasive action.

"Gawrsh…I wonder who's attackin' us…" Goofy sighed out, trying to fathom what this strange ship was doing. Sora jerked the controls on the ship slightly.

"We have no time for that!" Sora yelled and he jerked the ship harder than before, sending the four companions standing on the ship tumbling over. Suddenly another alarm blared with its klaxon-like sound. Mickey punched a button and another viewing screen came up, slightly smaller than the one Sora was looking at.

"We've got another ship coming at us!" Mickey said quickly and Sora chanced a look at the viewing screen. The ship that was swooping seemed almost odd in this space. Most of the ships he had seen in space were either Heartless ships or Gummi Ships…but none of them looked like the ship that was approaching save for Captain Hook's.

But Sora knew that this one wasn't Captain Hook's for it seemed much too majestic. The hull was made of wood and was truly a thing of beauty. There were cannons attached onto the sides of it but they looked to be much different from the weapon Gummis that Sora was so used to using. Those weapons were currently being deployed and were firing upon, not their ship, but the ship that was attacking. The strangest part about the ship was the fact that it had sails that seemed to shine with a golden sun despite the fact that there was no sun shining on them. Even the deck almost looked as if it was bathed in golden sunlight. As the ship passed by and began to engage in combat with the unidentified ship Sora took a scrutinizing glance at letters painted on the side: _R.L.S. Legacy_.

Almost at once, the two ships began exchanging broadsides with one another and it took Sora a small amount of time before he realized that their ship was caught in the crossfire. As the fire between the two ships began flaring back and forth Sora took on more evasive maneuvers. However, as soon as Sora began said maneuvers the ship that had started attacking them seemed to intensify its assault and fired even quicker than before. This prompted the _Legacy_ (or so Sora assumed it was called) to return fire with a more intense rate. Sora swooped and served the ship through the oncoming fire and he could almost feel the tense air felt in his companions standing behind him.

Then he felt another shudder and something seemed to go wrong with the ship. Sora snapped a look to Mickey and his face asked the question that did not come out of his mouth. Mickey toggled a few controls and turned quickly to Sora with a grim look on his face.

"The engine's been shot, Sora. She won't hold much longer." Mickey said and Sora inwardly cursed. There had to be some way to save themselves this time. Unlike last time, his readings read no world in the immediate vicinity. So he came to a quick decision.

"We need to land on that ship. If the readings are as bad as you say then this ship could explode at any moment and we need to get out of this fire." Sora said in a commanding voice that implied he was not to be trifled with, his gaze indicating that they were to land on the _Legacy_.

"Sora, are you sure?" Kairi asked with uncertainty causing her voice to waver. "I mean, how do we know that ship isn't an enemy? How do we know we'll be able to breathe?"

"Don't worry about that." Riku said calmly. "I sensed an aura around the ship that should allow us to breathe…it's like Hook's ship."

"But how do we know they weren't the ones that hit us?" Kairi cried out. Sora snapped his fiancée a look that almost made her scared, but she knew it was only because of the current situation.

"Personally, I would rather land on a ship that tried to save our butts rather than one that instigated a battle with us." Sora said as he twisted the ship around and aimed it towards the _Legacy_. "It's either that…or we die." He pushed the thrusters forward, causing them to go to maximum capacity and speed. As they got ever closer to the ship, Sora let his idea be known. "As soon as this ship lands on that deck, we jump off and knock it away from the ship so it doesn't hurt whoever may be on board."

They all nodded in agreement with Sora's statement and saw that they were within mere feet of the ship's deck. There was a shuddering explosion behind them and signals on the dashboard indicated that their enemy from before was at last vanquished…but the explosion that had ensued crippled their ship even further making the Gummi Ship a potential death trap. Sora pushed the thrusters forward even more, hoping that the ship would not give out and within thirty seconds the ship landed on the deck. Immediately, Sora disengaged the hatch to the ship and Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy jumped out right away. Sora and Mickey quickly unbuckled and followed suit.

As soon as their feet landed, the Keyblade wielders summoned their weapons and Donald took out his staff. Those who knew enough magic raised their Keyblades into the air and cast a float spell on the now damaged-beyond-all-repair Gummi Ship, and with all of their strength, flung it away from the _Legacy_. When it seemed to be about fifty meters away, the ship at last exploded and Sora was glad that they had gotten out safely…even if it meant losing a ship. He finally exhaled and took a look around.

Standing around him were all manners of various aliens. One of them was a brutish thug with four arms while another one seemed to be a short spindly legged hag that seemed no more than a head. There was another, even larger alien who seemed to be getting off of one of the cannon posts who had a huge body and a teeny-tiny head. For a moment, Sora almost regretted his decision to land until he heard a friendly, if unknown, voice behind him.

"Spot on! I must say, that was some excellent flying!" said a voice with a British accent. "If I didn't know better, I would have said you were a graduate of the Interstellar Academy." Sora turned around and was surprised to see a feline female walking towards him…but acting very much like a human. Of course, he wasn't all that surprised when he saw a man who looked similar to Goofy walking behind her along with a very large man what seemed to be made of rock.

"Uhhh…" was all Sora could work out before Mickey was able to string together words.

"Hi there!" he said cheerily. "I'm King Mickey Mouse of Disney Castle and-" But he was cut off by a sudden wave of bows, the most elegant one being from the female in front of them.

"Your Majesty…" the feline said with dignity and respect. "I am Captain Amelia, captain of the star ship the _R.L.S. Legacy_. This is Mr. Arrow, my first mate, loyal dependable and hard-working to boot."

"You flatter me, captain." said the stone faced man behind the captain with a sense of both pride and embarrassment. Amelia waved her hand.

"Oh, tish-tosh, you know I don't mean a word of it." the captain said with a very humorous tone. She then pointed to the dog-man behind her. "This is Dr. Delbert Doppler, the financier of our voyage."

"How-how do you do?" Doppler said, holding out his hand clumsily as he emerged from his bow with the rest of the crew. All of them looked at him with a strange look and he seemed altogether flustered. However, Amelia seemed to be able to pick up on this awkwardness immediately.

"I figured you were part of the knights of Disney Castle, your ship did bear its emblem after all. After we saw you were getting attacked, we thought to do our best to help." Amelia said with what seemed to be a jest behind her voice though everyone there could sense the sincerity that was really there. "I never expected to find the king himself aboard. What brings you so far out here?"

"We're searching for a companion of ours." Mickey said hurriedly and the captain nodded. "But I guess we could ask what you're doing out here too?"

"Ah, yes, we're on a voyage, if you and your companions would join me in my cabin." She pointed her way up the steps that led to a different room of the ship. They all willingly obliged and she smiled at them. "Very well then, Mr. Silver!"

"Aye ma'am!" cried out a voice and Sora took a look to see a man emerging from below deck. He seemed to be a normal man until he looked closer and saw a strange mechanical eye in one of his eye sockets and that his right arm and leg were entirely made of a whirring gizmo instead of flesh and blood.

"See to it that young Mr. Hawkins is sent up to my cabin immediately." the captain ordered and Silver seemed to bow a bit more theatrically than expected. "Right this way, gentlemen." With that, she began to lead the group of six up to her cabin. Sora leaned in towards the king.

"Your Majesty, who are these people?" Sora asked him and the king looked at him with bright eyes.

"That's Captain Amelia, I've never met her before but she's one of the best field agents from the Interstellar Academy. They help to try and keep space clean and calm as well as sort out some inter-world conflicts." Mickey said and Sora nodded with this new information as they entered the captain's cabin, joined about a minute later with what seemed to be a seventeen year old boy. He had brown hair that was tied in a short little ponytail and a slightly stocky build. He word an earring on his left ear and had the look of someone who didn't really care to be doing what he currently was instructed to do.

"Ah, Mister Hawkins, there you are." the captain said and she closed her door with a snap. She walked over to a closet and took out a small golden sphere with many intricate markings on it.

"What's that?" Sora asked and the captain tossed the sphere to the boy who looked at her.

"Mr. Hawkins, if you'd please explain what the purpose of our voyage is, I'm sure that our guests would like to know." the captain said with a smile and the boy sighed. But he never told them what their voyage was for and so the captain picked up the slack.

"That orb there is a map to the world of Treasure Planet, however we are trusting very few members on this ship with knowledge of its existence. It is not to be mentioned unless in use…to anyone!" She had said this last part with such authority it almost caused them all to flinch. Then she quickly cleared her throat and took the sphere away from the boy and stowing it away in her cabinet. "Thank you, Mr. Hawkins."

"It's Jim." the boy said with a disgruntled look on his face. She seemed to ignore this comment. Mickey took a few moments after this to discuss with her the fact that they would remain aboard the ship and help them out.

"Now then, it will be kept under lock and key at all times. What are the rest of your names?" the captain said and all of them gave her their names. She nodded in satisfaction. "All of you, save for Your Majesty, shall further refer to me as 'captain' or 'ma'am', am I clear?"

"Transparently, " Riku said, and then, adding as an after thought. "ma'am."

"Excellent then, Master Goofy, Miss Kairi, if you will join my men in the Crows' Nest it would be most helpful I believe. Mister Riku, you will be at the ready with our laser cannons or on standby for whenever I may need you." She then looked lastly at Sora and Donald. "Mr. Arrow, please escort Masters Sora and Donald to the kitchen to meet our cook."

"The cook!!" Donald yelled out angrily. "But I wanna go on the cannons!" Sora nudged Donald playfully.

"Aww, come on Donald, it'll be fun! We get to go and cook things…I mean, we can use fire." Sora said and a begrudged Donald agreed. With that, the captain opened the door from her cabin and let all of the new crew members out. Mr. Arrow led Sora and Donald forward to the galley below deck, Jim following slightly behind them. As they reached the galley they heard a humming coming from below.

"Mr. Silver." came the gruff voice of Mr. Arrow and Sora saw, emerging from the shadow the same man of flesh and metal turn around to face them. Jim trudged up from behind them.

"Jimbo, there ya are!" the man, Silver, said with a hearty chuckle. "What can I do for ye, Mr. Arrow?"

"Captain says that these two are to join you in the kitchen." Arrow said with authority. Silver rubbed the back of his head.

"Far be it from this humble old cyborg to disrespect his captain, but I can hardly fit four of us in the kitchen." Silver said with a twinkle in his mechanical eye. Arrow rubbed his chin. Suddenly out of nowhere a pink glob came floating out of nowhere, flying around the two companions. Sora chuckled at it when it appeared to be just that, a pink glob with two eyes. "Ah, Morphy, there ya are."

"Morphy?" Sora asked with amusement. Silver chuckled at this and watched as the pink glob floated around and started annoying Donald.

"Well, his name is really Morph, but I call him Morphy, I rescued the little fella on Proteus 1."

"Never been there." Sora said with a shrug of his shoulders. Meanwhile, Donald was having trouble with Morph.

"Stop that, ya big palooka!" Suddenly Morph twisted into a bunch of different Donald heads.

"Big palooka!" the heads started yelling multiple times until Donald yelled so loudly Sora was sure that the whole ship had heard of him.

"Well…" Arrow said slowly. Suddenly the light on the ship began to fade and Sora could only figure it meant they were using a simulation of night aboard the ship. Mr. Arrow cleared his throat. "I'm afraid you're right Mr. Silver, I'll see to it that Master Donald be moved to another position, but Master Sora remains here." With that, Arrow and Donald left, but not before Donald threw a teasing look at Sora. Sora just stuck his tongue out at him before turning back to Silver.

"So…Sora is it?" Silver said, extending his arm that was made of metal. "Oh, don't be put off by this hunk of junk, it's not all that bad once you get used to it."

"Okay…I won't be." Sora said tentatively and he shook Silver's hand. Silver gave a chuckle before turning to Jim.

"Jimbo, why don't you introduce Sora here to Mr. Mop and Mrs. Bucket and have a grand old time with them." Silver said with more humor as Jim grumbled and led the way up onto the deck, grabbing a mop and a bucket full of water in the process.

"So Jim, why are you on this voyage?" Sora asked inquisitively, trying to get to know his fellow cabin boy better. Jim shrugged slightly as he handed Sora a mop.

"Doc says it's for a few character building months in space but, uh…" He leaned in towards Sora and told him in a whisper, "I was the one that found the map." Sora nodded knowingly and Jim actually cracked a smile at him. The two then set to work on mopping the floor. Sora knew that he could get it done in five seconds with magic but…if Jim needed some kind of character building, for whatever reason, then it was best that he do it on his own.

They had only been about an hour into swabbing the deck and already Sora was beginning to feel a small amount of sweat on his forehead. Jim looked even worse than he did…but what really annoyed Sora was Riku laughing at him from up above. Occasionally, Sora would get so irked that he'd fling water up at Riku and hit him in the face which would cause Riku to curse slightly. Sora leaned on his mop slightly and saw three of the members whispering amongst themselves and immediately, Sora got a bad vibe. He nudged Jim and pointed over at them.

Suddenly, all three froze and stared at them…well, it was more of a glare than a stare. Suddenly there was a rustling behind them and both Sora and Jim whipped around to be faced with a spidery looking fellow with a red head and bulbous yellow eyes.

"Cabin boys should learn to mind their own business…" the spider man said in a sinister tone. Jim smirked at him.

"Yeah, I will if you do." Jim said and the spider man seemed to have had a nerve snapped for he lashed out at Jim and held him against the mast. Sora immediately summoned his Keyblade.

"Clearly your hearing needs to be checked." the spider man said, sounding even more sinister than he had but moments before.

"Yeah, too bad my nose works just fine." Jim said with disgust and Sora could only imagine what Jim smelled at that current moment in time. The spider man snarled and Sora barked an order to let him go, brandishing his Keyblade. But before he could take a move a mechanical hand shot out in front of him and grabbed the spider man's arm.

"Now, now Mr. Scroop, we don't want to see what happens to your arm if I squeeze too hard." Silver said with a devilish smile on his face. Scroop grunted in pain as it seemed that Silver squeezed his arm and relaeased Jim. Suddenly, the booming voice of Mr. Arrow was heard over the crowd.

"What's going on here?!" Arrow demanded. "You know the rules! No brawling aboard this ship! Any further offenders will be confined to the brig!" All of the crew immediately snapped to and agreed with Arrow. Satisfied he walked away and the rest of the crew headed below into the galley. Silver took a moment to remonstrate both Jim and Sora before following after them. Jim just leaned on his mop and stared out into the stars. Sora just looked at him, but didn't say anything since he knew Jim just wanted to be left to his thoughts. After a few moments, Silver came above deck and walked over to them. Jim looked at him for a moment.

"You all right, Jimbo?" Silver asked and Jim nodded solemnly. He fidgeted around with the mop before he threw it down onto the deck.

"I…uh…thanks." Jim said tentatively and Silver waved it off until a thought seemed to come floating through his head.

"Didn't your pap ever teach ya to pick your fights more carefully?" Silver asked and Jim seemed to squirm a bit, all the while, remaining silent. Silver had a concerned look on his face before he turned to Sora. "Same with you…where'd you get that scar?" Sora shifted around uncomfortably. The feeling of the scar on his face was just something he would have to get used to, but it still sent a heat flash across his cheek. Silver looked at the both of them and wondered. "Your father's not the teaching sort?"

_You can say that again…_ Sora thought to him. In his mind, he had never really had a father. True, he had wanted his father to come to his wedding…but that wasn't at all from an overwhelming joy to see his father by any means. It didn't matter, his father was dead. But he had just wanted his father to be there, to show him that his son, his only son, could amount to something grater than even he could be. Call it jealousy if you would, but it was more of zeal to surpass his father and show him up for being so terrible than anything. Jim however was the first one to speak up.

"No, he was more the taking off and never coming back sort." Jim said solemnly and Silver directed his gaze onto Sora, almost as if asking the same question.

"Same thing…only we learned a few years later that my father had died." Sora said, walking over to the rail that Silver was leaning on and leaning on it himself.

"Oh…sorry lads." Silver said and Jim just scoffed a little bit.

"Hey, no big deal, I'm doing just fine." Jim said defiantly and Sora was at last able to get a measure of James Pleiades Hawkins. Clearly, his father's abandonment had scarred Jim for life.

"Is that so?" Silver mused for a moment. "Well, since the captain has put you two in my charge, like it or not, I'll be pounding a few skills into those thick heads of yours to keep you two out of trouble."

"What?!" both Sora and Jim voiced simultaneously. Sora didn't need to learn any skills. He already knew all the skills that needed to be known for life…he was about to get married for God's sakes!

"From now on, I'm not letting you two out of me sight!" Silver proclaimed grandly.

"You can't do-" Jim began to protest immediately but Silver didn't care and he cut him off.

"You won't so much as eat, sleep, or scratch your bums without my say so!" Silver yelled and Jim managed to shoot him a purely loathing glance.

"Don't do me any favors!" Jim yelled out and Silver laughed.

"Oh, you can be sure of that, my lads. You can be sure of that." And so it began. But Sora couldn't help but admit that during the next week that they were on the ship, making their way toward Treasure Planet, it was one of the most fun weeks of his life. True, he was separated from most of his friends who were busy doing other things on the ship, but Silver was treating both him and Jim like any proper father would. Even though Sora knew that he was too old to have any man treat him like a father was supposed to, Silver was at least a model of one towards Jim. In some respect, it settled his own mind, and he knew that it even helped Jim begin to gain respect.

That wasn't to admit that the work didn't take a long time. Silver set them about doing tasks that took almost impossibly long to complete and while Sora used magic on the first few tasks, Silver immediately put a stop to that, believing that using magic wasn't helping them in anyway. Ironically though, for being a lazy bum, Sora found himself actually enjoying the work on the ship. They cleaned off what seemed to be space algae from the bottom of the ship as well as learning how to tie ropes in order to securely fasten longboats. In fact, he was learning more about ships here than he ever had in Port Royal, and he was in space! He and Jim washed the deck together quite a lot and those were usually the only times that Sora was willing to sneak some magic in. Quickly, they became fast friends and it almost seemed that Jim saw Sora as an older brother, which Sora welcomed greatly.

Of course, not all the work was fun, like washing dishes after a meal where they would often just keep piling up one after another and never stopping until very late at night (or what Sora presumed was night). Often, he and Jim would fall asleep shortly after the dishes were done. Of course, both of them noticed that whenever this would happen, Silver would often put a coat around them to keep them warm in the cold of space. One day however, Silver took the two of them out on a skiff for fun and allowed Jim to pilot it…and Sora had to admit that the kid was pretty skilled. They chased what seemed to be a shooting star and Sora forgot all of his worries during that time. True, he knew that they were searching after Gentai, and that they needed to find him, but wasn't some measure of peace and quiet owed them. After only an hour or two, however, the trio of Silver, Sora, and Jim returned back to ship and pulled the skiff in before sitting against the sides of it, Sora and Jim on one side, Silver on the other.

"Oh, Jimbo," Silver exclaimed as they began to rest. "If I could maneuver a skiff like that when I was your age…they'd be bowing in he streets when I walked by today."

"Yeah, man." Sora said with praise. "The first time I ever flew a Gummi Ship I crash-landed in the middle of Deep Jungle." He chuckled at the experience and Jim gave them both a warm smile.

"I don't know," he said lightly. "They weren't exactly singing my praises when I left home…But I'm gonna change all that." Silver gave him a look but Sora didn't, knowing exactly what Jim was planning to do.

"How so?"

"I, uh, got some plans…gonna make people see me a little different." Jim said with confidence but Silver adopted a look of concern on his face.

"Ooh…sometimes plans go astray." Silver stated. Sora nodded, knowing all too well. After all, that seemed to be the case as of let. Silver stretched his leg out a bit and tried to adjust the nut on his right leg. Morph came out and turned into a wrench. Silver smiled at him and tightened the nut.

"So, how did that happen Silver?" Sora asked, intrigued as to what could happen to a man to make him half machine. He chuckled a bit at Sora's question.

"You give up a few things chasing a dream." Silver said with a warm smile.

"Was it worth it?" Jim asked and Silver replied with a mere "I'm hopin' it is Jimbo, I most surely am." With that, silence fell on the trio in the long boat. Sora felt they had been sitting there for hours even though it had in reality only been five minutes when suddenly a large force impacted with the ship. The three were tossed out of the longboat and immediately been scrambling to the deck. Sora saw Kairi sliding down a rope and Riku taking his position on a cannon.

"Kairi, what's going on?" Sora yelled and Kairi shrugged.

"No one knows…well, except for Doctor Doppler, I was about to go and ask him." The couple ran up the steps to the top of the deck where Mickey, Amelia, and Doppler were standing.

"Doctor, what's going on?" Sora demanded. Doppler peered out of his glasses at an orange explosion appearing quite a bit away.

"Good heavens! The star Pelusa…she's gone supernova!" the doctor exclaimed and Sora, confused as he was, asked exactly what that meant. "That star's just been destroyed."

"But that's a world!" Sora yelled. "That was a world filled with people! Stars don't just explode or go out like lights!" he wanted to hit something, angry that a world had just suddenly exploded but he felt Kairi grab him from behind.

"Sora, calm down, yelling isn't going to help anyone!" Kairi said and in her arms, he managed to calm himself down a nod. He looked to the captain and the king.

"What do you need us to do, captain?" Sora asked with determination.

"Evasive action, Mr. Turnbuckle!" the captain roared and the person on the wheel immediately began turning the wheel to avoid the chunks of debris flying at them. Sora looked and saw that Riku was blowing apart pieces of the debris that almost hit them. "Fasten lifelines everyone! Secure the sails, Mr. Arrow!"

"Aye captain!" Mr. Arrow yelled and he turned towards the crew and bellowed: "Secure the sails, reef the down men!" Without a warning, Sora ran forward and grabbed onto the netting, pulling himself up to help Jim and Silver bring the sails back up. He summoned his Keyblade just in case he might need to use it, and he was glad he had. A wave hit the ship and nearly knocked Silver off but Sora, remembering his magic training flung his Keyblade forward like a whip and a strand of light emerged, stronger than even rope and pulled Silver back up. Another wave hit the ship and they all held fast to the mast. Then Doppler yelled something more frightening.

"It's devolving into a black hole!" Doppler yelled loudly. Mickey jumped up and looked to the captain.

"He's right captain, we have to do something!" Mickey yelled and the captain nodded. Suddenly another wave hit and Mr. Turnbuckle was thrown off the wheel. Amelia quickly took his place.

"Blast these waves, they're so deucedly erratic." the captain yelled as one last wave hit. Kairi flew against the console that Doppler was staring at. He jumped a bit and she picked herself up, rubbing the back of her head. Then she noticed that she didn't have any lifeline on her. Immediately she ran down to the deck and started fastening hers on. But Doppler had some new news.

"No Captain, they're not erratic at all! There'll be another one in precisely 47.2 seconds! Followed by the biggest magilla of them all!" The captain snapped her fingers as though she had an idea.

"Of course, brilliant, doctor! We'll ride that last magilla out of here!" the captain exclaimed before she started barking orders once more. "Release the sails Mr. Arrow, and I want no complaining if you want to get out of here alive! Master Sora, Mr. Hawkins, secure those lifelines!" The two friends nodded and dropped down onto the deck. Jim quickly pulled all of the lifeline taut before Sora used his magic to make sure they were really fastened.

"Lifelines secured, captain!" Jim yelled as the second-to-last wave hit. Sora was thrown to the floor but as he looked up, he saw something he never wished to see. Mr. Arrow was floating out in space, help fast to the ship only by the lifeline he was attached to. But then he saw a shape emerge from the shadow of the sails. Scroop came out of nowhere and snapped his pincers. He brought his hand near Arrow's lifeline.

"NO!!!!!" Sora cried, but his voice was lost amidst the noises and buffeting, for lack of a better word, wind. When next he looked, he saw that Arrow was gone as their ship was sucked deep into the black hole.

"Hold on to your lifelines gents, it's going to be a bumpy ride!" the captain yelled as they descended into the deepness of the black hole. Then there was a shudder and the final, powerful wave shot forward boosting them out of the destruction of the world and star. When at last they were safe, the entire crew began cheering save for Sora, who had tears streaming down his eyes. Silver and Jim dropped onto the deck. Doppler extricated himself from the ropes to look at the captain.

"Absolute-absol-absolutely amazing captain!" Doppler exclaimed.

"Oh, tish-tosh, your astronomical advice was most helpful." the captain said and Doppler started fumbling through his sentences. Sora would have found it funny, were it not for what he had just witnessed. Kairi and Riku made their way up to him while Donald and Goofy joined up with the king. They looked at him as he pounded the deck softly. The captain descended onto the deck. "Well, it seems I must congratulate you Mr. Silver, it seems your cabin boys did a bang up job with those lifelines." Jim and Silver nudged each other around before looking to Sora and noticing he wasn't at all happy. "All hands accounted for, Mr. Arrow?" Silence issued forth. "Mr. Arrow?" Suddenly there was a hissing noise as Scroop came forward, carrying Arrow's hat in his oversized claws.

"I'm afraid Mr. Arrow has been lost. His lifeline was not secured."

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: And there it is! I actually enjoyed writing this chapter and next chapter will be even better. I hope you liked how I brought Treasure Planet in. Now, you see how I brought these characters forward emotionally. And no, killing Mr. Arrow was not my idea, it was in the movie so don't rip on me for that. I will indeed explain how Pelusa was destroyed later (more detail than the movie) so don't worry. On that finished point, see Lord Moldybutt, I told you I'd talk about Sora and his father. In any case, in the meantime, please review and Dare to Be Silly.


	7. Chapter 31: Shinin' in the Stars

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything in this chapter other than...well, my plot...so that counts for something in this world.**

* * *

Chapter 31

Shinin' in the Stars

"_Look, a star's goin' out!"_

-Goofy

There was a collective silence at the words spoken by Mr. Scroop that their beloved first mate had indeed been lost. But Jim was as fidgety as could be.

"No, I checked them all!" Jim yelled and he rushed over to the lifelines and saw that Mr. Arrow's was indeed missing. "I checked them…"

"And I secured them with magic!" Sora yelled. "There was no way Mr. Arrow could have flown away…unless Scroop cut his lifeline!" Riku and Kairi both wheeled on Scroop, believing their best friend's words over those of a low life bug.

"Mr. Scroop, is what this fine, young gentleman is saying true?" the captain asked and the insect shifted around a bit. He put on his face, as much of a smile as he could muster.

"Captain, why would an upstanding crew man like myself harm our good Mr. Arrow?" Scroop said with mock sincerity dripping all over. Sora stepped forward his Keyblade held out and it took every bit of Riku and Kairi holding him back for him to not slice Scroop to ribbons.

"Oh, I don't know…because you were still really angry with him for breaking up that fight a week ago?!" Sora screamed and Scroop attempted to look as innocent as possible. The two seemed about ready to bite each other's heads off when the captain spoke up.

"Mr. Arrow was a fine spacer…finer than most of us could ever hope to be." the captain said with sadness in every part of her heart. "But he knew the risks, as do we all. Resume your posts. We carry on." The captain walked away and up to her cabin, followed by Doppler, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. The rest of the crew went their own way after that. Sora banged his fist on one of the walls.

"Sora…just let it go." Riku said with a pat on Sora's back. Sora knew he couldn't do anything about it…but it didn't make him any happier. Jim ambled away from them and sat climbed up to the mast. Sora wanted to follow him and encourage him that everything was going to be okay but right now he was angry. He knew that Scroop had killed Arrow…al that mattered though was the case of proving it. Suddenly he heard Silver's voice.

"It wasn't your fault you know…Why, half the crew would be spinning in the black abyss-" Silver began to say to him, but Jim's voice cut across louder than anything.

"Look, don't you get it! I screwed up! For two seconds I thought that maybe I could do something right but-aaargh!" Jim screamed and Sora could almost feel the pain he was feeling. "Just forget it! Forget it!" Jim slipped down from the mast and onto the deck, but Silver followed so quickly after him, Sora could have sworn he moved like thunder. He grabbed onto Jim.

"Now you listen to me James Hawkins." Silver began to say. "You got the makings of greatness in ya but you gotta take the helm and chart your own course. Stick to it, no matter the squalls and when the time comes you get the chance…to really test the cut of your sails and show what you're made of…well, I hope I'm there catching some of the light coming off ya that day." Silver smiled at Jim and Jim just broke down and began to cry into Silver's shoulder. Sora soon felt a tap on his shoulder and saw Riku beckoning to him. He took a last glimpse at Silver comforting Jim before walking away and following Riku to a slightly smaller cabin.

"What's wrong Riku?" Sora asked his best friend and Kairi was also sharing Sora's look of concern.

"While you were listening to that total sap talk of Silver's I was sniffing around at your bug-eyed friend Scroop." Riku said simply, attempting a jab at Sora that was just passed off. Sora looked at him expectantly. Riku took a breath in and out and began. "I don't trust this crew…and I don't trust Silver…I say we don't sleep below deck tonight. Scroop's onto you and that bodes ill for all of us."

"How thick is their darkness?" Kairi asked Riku, worried that perhaps these men might actually be working with Maleficent. Riku looked at her and seemed to understand what she was thinking.

"Just a shadow really, they're just really greedy I would think and…Sora, you may not like this, but Silver's got it too. I'd almost say that he's the architect behind it all." Riku said, but Sora was no longer listening, his mind already wandering.

"Pelusa…" he mumbled out and they looked at him with confused glances. "How could a world just…" He brought his hands together and then broke them apart. "…explode?"

"I don't know…but let's get some sleep. It won't do us any good if we're not well rested." Riku said and Sora nodded, trying to drag his thoughts away from the day's events and the anger that was festering in his heart.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day Sora woke up a bit more cheerful than he had the day before. Kairi and Riku were still sleeping a bit but he saw them stirring slightly and knew that they would both be up soon. He stretched out a bit and walked outside onto the deck. He smiled as he saw Jim playing with Morph, who it seemed had taken his shoe. Jim quickly ran below into the galley chasing after Morph. Sora then heard a rumble in his stomach and decided that he too, needed some manner of food. He strode off toward the galley, looking around at the space that almost seemed to be making its way towards an atmosphere, but stopped when he heard voices down below.

"We don't move 'till we got the treasure in hand!" came the booming voice of Silver and Sora stopped short, not wanting to be caught here.

"I say we kill them all now." Scroop said in a delicate voice before there was a big emotion and it seemed that Silver had grabbed Scroop.

"I say what's to say!" Silver yelled. "Disobey my orders again-like that stunt you pulled with Mr. Arrow, and so help me, you'll be joining him!" Sora almost snapped his fingers. He knew he had seen correctly, he knew Scroop had killed Arrow the night before.

"Strong talk, but I know otherwise." Scroop said, his voice becoming more sinister with every syllable.

"You got something to say, Scroop?" Silver seemed to be getting angrier by the second.

"It's that boy…Methinks you have a soft spot for him…" Scroop said, and an eerie chuckle came forth from him.

"Look, I care about one thing and one thing only: Flint's trove. I won't let some kid stop me from getting it either!" Silver yelled in an attempt to convince his men of something.

"What was it you said? 'You got the makings of greatness in ya', was it?" Scroop said, trying to plant a seed of doubt in his companions' minds.

"I cozied up to those kids to keep them off our scent." Sora snorted slightly but regretted his action. Thankfully none of them had heard him. Riku couldn't be thrown off their scent, not with his powers…and he had found the truth last night. "But I ain't goin' soft!" Suddenly a whistle was blown and Sora looked up to see Goofy leaning out of the crow's nest.

"Land ho!" Goofy yelled and Sora ran over.

"Goofy, get down here now! Grab Donald and go to the captain's cabin, hurry!" Sora commanded. Goofy saluted him and Goofy slid down as Sora rushed off to the cabin he had slept in last night. He arrived to find Riku and Kairi sitting up, if still trying to wake up. Sora snapped the door shut. "Come on you guys, we've hit Treasure Planet and there are complications, get moving!" Riku rubbed his eyes and attempted to stifle a yawn.

"What are you talking about Sora?" Riku asked and Sora grabbed both him and Kairi and dragged them out of the cabin as he saw Jim quickly run out of the galley. "What the heck is going on?!"

"Come on, Sora!" Jim yelled as he ran past them. Sora followed immediately after Jim and Riku and Kairi were right behind him. They quickly slid into the captain's cabin and shut the door right before they heard Silver yelling: "Change in plan, lads! We move now!" Sora whipped around and saw Mickey summon his Keyblade and Amelia took out a gun and handed one to Doppler and one to herself while tossing the map to Jim, who after a struggle with Morph managed to place it in his pocket.

"Pirates on my ship!" said Amelia distastefully. "I'll see they all hang! We need to get onto the planet's surface, and Mr. Hawkins, keep that map safe!"

"How do we get out of here?!" Donald asked, slightly worried. Sora smirked and stabbed his Keyblade into the ground, muttering an incantation as he did so. A small circle of ice stemmed out from the Keyblade and Sora pulled his Keyblade out. He nodded to Riku who aimed a dark aura at the floor and broke the ice, and the floor. All nine of the companions jumped down through the hole, just as the door to the cabin was blasted open.

"Get to the longboats and hurry. Mister Sora, Mister Riku, I'll need you to hold them off as long as you can. Miss Kairi and Your Majesty if you could please help me and the doctor with the longboat." Mickey bowed to her and Kairi nodded while Sora and Riku stood defensively at the entrance to the hall they were in.

"Just like old times, huh?" Riku said with a smirk and Sora chortled a bit.

"Only, last time we were facing the Superior of Organization XIII and this time we're just facing an inept band of greedy pirates." Sora said with one of his trademark grins. A shot from a gun was fired off in their direction but missed them.

"Who are you calling inept?" yelled a gruff voice and the pirates came bounding down the stairs. Sora and Riku looked at each other. Riku then sent of a large barrage of Dark Aura shots at the pirates while Sora summoned a wave of water over them. They heard a shout for their return over by the long boats. Sora summoned a quick reflect shield and the two began running back to the longboats.

"Well…at least the don't use Heartless." Sora said with a chuckle as they leapt in the longboat, Jim joining them shortly after.

"Just hope they don't." Riku responded with a stern glance. He looked at Jim. "Do you have the map?" Jim nodded and the captain and Doppler fired shots at the cables above them. The boat dropped and they slipped out of the ship. Amelia began piloting the longboat quickly but soon there was the sound of a projectile being fired through the area and a laser ball came hurtling at the ship. Thankfully, it only hit the tail end of the ship but the captain was thrown forward in the process. Mickey stepped forward and from his Keyblade rained a great barrage of lightning bolts at the nearest laser cannon. It connected and set enough shock through it, to make it dysfunctional for a while.

But that victory was short lived for soon after that the ship crashed onto the surface of Treasure Planet. The boat skidded along and Sora jumped out at a moment's notice to avoid being crushed under the weight of the boat. He rolled out of its way and leapt back up immediately, running over to his companions. Most of them were completely fine but the captain seemed to be in a bad condition.

"Oh, don't worry about me, a cup of tea and I'll be right as rain." the captain insisted before she keeled over. Doppler laid her down. "Hawkins, do you have the map?"

"Right here." Jim said, bringing out the map. But soon the map floated into the air, jiggled around a bit and reformed itself into the shape of Morph. "Morph! Where's the map?!" Suddenly, Morph was showing Jim exactly what he did with the map just as a new skiff entered the horizon.

"Stand low everybody." Mickey said, taking over in the captain's absence. "We've got company…Jim, Sora, Riku, go scout ahead. The rest of us will keep watch here and take care of the captain." All three of the companions nodded and set off into the wilderness.

"Riku, you think you can use your scent thing to find a hiding spot?" Sora asked sincerely and Riku laughed sourly, shaking his head. But then they heard a rustle and all four of them (the fourth being Morph) stopped. Sora looked at Riku who began to sniff around…but strangely came up with nothing. Both he and Sora were confused by this strange notion until a great form of whirling circuitry came flying out of nowhere and latched onto Jim who struggled to get away.

"Carbon-based life forms come to rescue me at last!" the whirring robot said and both Sora and Riku ran over and pulled him off of Jim. "Oh, I just wanna hug ya and squeeze ya and hold ya close to me!" Thus it proceeded to hug Riku who was already annoyed more than enough at this…thing. Riku wrenched it off of him and took a step back. "I'm sorry…I-I-I've been marooned for so long, I mean solitude's fine but after a hundred years…you go a little NUTS!!!" Sora and Riku shared a glance that indicated this was clearly what they thought this robot was. "My name is…B.E.N., of course, B.E.N. or Bioelectronic Navigator!"

"That's great B.E.N., I'm Jim, this is Sora and Riku." Jim said, clearly trying to get away from this strange and freaky android. "But look, we've gotta find a place to hide. We're being hunted by pirates and-"

"Pirates! Oh, don't get me started on pirates! I mean, I remember Captain Flint, nasty old temper." Sora and Riku were starting to lose it with B.E.N.'s incessant rambling, but Jim suddenly seemed very interested in the subject.

"Flint? You knew Captain Flint?" Jim yelled and he hurriedly ran up to B.E.N. "So you know where the treasure is? Come on B.E.N., tell me that you know where the treasure is?!"

"Wait, I-I r-r-remember. Treasure, a big treasure buried in the centroid-centroid-centroid of the mechanism." B.E.N. managed to stutter out. Sora laughed at the mention of so much treasure. _Better keep Donald away from it…_ "And there was this big door, opening and closing and opening and closing and opening and closing and Captain Flint wanted to make sure nobody could ever get to his treasure so I helped him….and…" Suddenly BE.N. seemed to shut down. The trio looked at him for a moment before it seemed that he was able to start up again. "I'm sorry…who are you…I want to say Larry."

"But B.E.N., what about the treasure?!" Jim yelled loudly and at last it hit Sora that if they found the treasure then all of their problems would be solved.

"I've lost my mind!" The android rambled on, ignoring Jim's statement. "You haven't seen it, have you? Maybe it's back at my place…"

"Your place?" Sora asked curiously and B.E.N. walked over to a line of bushes. He pushed aside the bushes to reveal in the distance a great towering structure that would be the perfect place to hide in. Riku smirked.

"I think B.E.N. just solved our problem." Riku said and Sora smiled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

About an hour later, the group that had now expanded itself to ten (not including Morph) was holed up in B.E.N.'s home comfortably. The doctor had carried the captain in and laid her down to rest. Then Mickey wasted no time in taking command from her once again and telling Sora, Riku, and Jim to keep watch for anything that may be coming in the distance. Kairi and Donald both tended to the captain's wounds as best as they could but she refused to allow them to heal it completely and Goofy just stood by and watched them, occasionally examining and remarking about the strange symbols on the walls and ceilings. Sora, Riku and Jim took up defensive positions against the wall, their backs leaning to the side of the great big hole. After about ten minutes, Kairi took a break while Donald finished up his job and joined the three young men, sliding down next to Sora.

"You okay, Kairi?" Sora asked his fiancée concernedly. "You look a little tired…" Kairi merely smiled at him. She took a look at Doppler and Amelia.

"You know…I would say that the doctor is falling in love with the captain." she stated coyly. Sora grinned at her and gave a small chuckle.

"Yeah, well then, I would say that the captain is falling in love with the doctor." Sora said, almost defiantly. He glanced over at the couple as Donald finished his work. "Either that or she's gone delusional." Kairi playfully smacked his arm and Sora laughed a bit. Then Kairi leaned her head onto Sora's shoulder.

"Oh Sora…what have we gotten ourselves into here?" Kairi asked and Sora proceeded to start stroking her hair. He didn't answer her but the action he was taking spoke volumes. That was when the thought hit him again…the thought of children…looking at Jim, he weighed his options. Like Jim's father, wouldn't Sora have to leave…and couldn't Sora possibly die and scar his children for life? He shook those thoughts from his head the moment that B.E.N. yelled something out.

"Hey look! There's some more of your buddies!" B.E.N. yelled and everybody immediately sprang up to see the pirate encroaching on the hill, carrying laser guns. "Over here fellas! We're over here!" Instantly, the pirates began to fire at B.E.N. Jim groaned and grabbed the annoying android down from the spot so that he couldn't get hit and Sora cast a reflect spell on the hole. The fire bounced off and it didn't even make a dent in Sora's energy.

"Stop wasting your fire!" Silver's voice yelled out and the shots ceased their bombardment. After a few minutes, Sora felt it was safe to lower the shield and as soon as he did so he saw a white flag rise in the distance. Sora glared at it for a moment before Silver's voice rang out again. "Jimbo! Sora! If it's okay with the captain and king, I'd like a short word with ya both. No tricks, just a little palaver."

"Come to bargain for the map, doubtless." Amelia gasped out and they all shot a look to her as Doppler eased her back down. They all stood there a moment and Riku voiced what they were all thinking.

"That means that he thinks we still have it." Riku said with a smirk. Sora smirked back to him.

"Then let's go and, uh, 'bargain' with it, shall we?" Sora said to Jim and Jim nodded slowly. Together the two climbed out of the hole and headed down the slopes to meet with Silver who sat down and started tinkering with his leg.

"Oh, ever since our little game in the galley, me leg's not the same, Jimbo." Silver said, trying to get his leg to relax. Suddenly, Morph flew out and cuddled up to Silver's face for a moment. "Oh, Morphy, I missed ya."

"Well, you got what you deserved Silver." Sora said with defiance and Silver looked at him innocently. "Not only did you lead a mutiny, but you betrayed a king. You're committing treason in a certain sense." Silver just waved it off before he saw Jim glaring at him.

"Whatever you heard back there, Jimbo, at least the part concerning you, I didn't mean a word of it." Silver said and Sora resisted the urge to snort at this statement. "Had that bloodthirsty lot thought I'd gone soft, they'd have gutted us both." Silver slid a finger across his throat as if to indicate that they would have been killed. Then he leaned in towards both Sora and Jim. "Listen to me you two, if we play our cards right, we can walk away from this rich as kings!"

"Yeah?" Jim said, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. Sora looked at Jim, almost surprised that he would agree with Silver. Silver put an arm around Jim's shoulder.

"You get me that treasure map, and an even portion of the treasure is yours!" Silver proclaimed kindly. Jim scoffed a bit.

"Boy, you are really something." Jim started to walk away but seemed to turn around started pacing around Silver. "All that talk of greatness, light coming off my sails…what a joke. At least you taught me one thing: stick to it! Well, that's just what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna make sure that you never see one drabloon or piece of munny of MY treasure!"

"That treasure is owed me, by thunder!" Silver yelled loudly and it almost seemed like a thunderclap as it echoed around the space.

"Well, try to find it without my map, by thunder!" Jim yelled with ferocity and this time, Sora stepped in.

"And then you can _try_ and take it from us, by thunder!" Sora yelled and at last Silver stood up and stepped back a bit.

"Oh, you still don't know how to pick your fights, do you boys?" Silver said while shaking his head and Sora scoffed loudly.

"Oh, I've been in plenty of fights and for the most part, I've come out of them victorious. So don't tell me that I don't know how to pick my fights!" Sora yelled, his Keyblade springing forth into his hand. Silver's face now took on a sudden beastly complexion.

"Mark me, either I get that map by dawn tomorrow or so help me, I'll use the ship's cannons to blast you all to kingdom come!" Silver yelled but neither wavered, though Morph did squeal a bit in fright. The duo just stood there resolutely and Silver turned around. "Morph, move out…NOW!!!" But Morph remained, cowering behind Jim. Silver just gave a grunt and walked off in the direction of the strange forest they had landed in before while Sora and Jim headed back to B.E.N.'s home.

"How'd it go out there?" Riku asked and Sora shrugged, indicating that it wasn't that bad.

"How's the captain?" Sora asked and Kairi pointed at both her and Doppler with a "take a look for yourself" kind of look. He walked over as Jim took to looking at the stars.

"You have wonderful eyes, doctor…" Amelia breathed out and Sora chuckled, despite the circumstances.

"She's losing her mind!" Doppler yelled loudly. "And I can't do anything! I'm an astronomer, not a doctor! Well, I am a doctor, but not that kind of doctor…I mean, I have a doctorate but you can't help people with a doctorate…you just sit there and you're useless." Doppler almost started sobbing but Sora walked up to him and slapped him across the face. Everyone in the room gasped.

"Get a grip, doc!" Sora yelled loudly. "We're all in a tight position here but we need to HOLD IT TOGETHER!!"

"Exactly!" B.E.N. exclaimed. "After all, my buddies Jimmy and Sora have this all figured out!" B.E.N. then waltzed over to Jim and asked, "Got any ideas, buddy?"

"Ha, we try to leave we're dead…we stay here we're dead…and without the map…" Jim began to muse and Morph suddenly popped out.

"We're dead! We're dead, we're dead, we're dead!" Morph exclaimed and B.E.N. shifted away from them.

"Well, it seems like we all need a little quiet time so I'll just slip out the back door…" B.E.N. said quietly and all three of Sora, Riku and Jim snapped him a look.

"Back door?" They all said simultaneously as the android led them over to a strange semi-sphere. B.E.N. opened it while mentioning something about ventilation and the three looked down and saw tons of machinery coursing through it.

"What do you guys see?" Kairi asked from next to the captain, as she was taking care of her now.

"What is this stuff?" Sora asked the android.

"You mean the miles and miles of machinery that courses through the planet? Not a clue!" B.E.N. exclaimed, but the trio shared a look.

"Your Majesty, Captain, Doc, we'll be right back!" Sora said with a bright smile. Mickey leapt up.

"No, Sora, it's too dangerous out there, I order you to stay put!" Mickey exclaimed but Sora briefly uttered an apology and jumped into the hole, followed by Jim, Morph, Riku and B.E.N. who entered with a cry of "Cannonball!" Mickey just sighed.

"Aw, don't you worry none Your Majesty…" Goofy said with compassion. "Remember what happened the last time he disobeyed you?"

"Yeah! We destroyed that weirdo from Organization XIII!" Donald said triumphantly. Mickey nodded. Sora had certainly been in many difficult situations before and this time was no different. Besides, if anyone could get that map back, it was Sora.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The back door, unfortunately, led them straight to where the pirates were making camp. When they emerged from it they glanced around before B.E.N. came up spouting a bunch of garbage from his mouth and they had to stifle him so that he wouldn't wake up anybody else. That was when they made the plan: they would sneak back aboard the _R.L.S. Legacy_ and grab the map while also shutting off the laser cannons at the same time so Silver could not make good on his earlier promise.

"Just one question." B.E.N. stated sheepishly. "How are we gonna get there?" And Jim silently pointed to the longboat that Silver had used to get there. They climbed aboard quietly and set the skiff for a silent running, Jim taking the helm and flying it up to the ship, where they got on.

"Okay, I'm gonna go look for the map with Sora." Jim said, taking command of the situation which Sora, surprisingly, found no problem with. "Riku, I need you to disable the laser cannons and B.E.N…just stay here."

"Disable the laser cannons, got it!" B.E.N. exclaimed, and before any of them could stop him, he ran off. Sora cocked his head to Riku and Riku took off in the androids direction mumbling what sounded to be "I'll shut up the stupid android…" Jim then led the way to where they had made their escape, Sora right behind him. They moved quietly and stealthily and soon enough, Jim reached a coil of rope and put his hand in the middle of it, grabbing the orb that contained the treasure map.

"Got it!" he said in a hushed, yet triumphant, whisper. Then the alarms went off. Sora rolled his eyes and groaned; clearly Riku had been unsuccessful. "Stupid robot, he's gonna get us all killed!" Jim said, dashing back to the deck, Sora right behind him. They were about to emerge onto deck when they came face to face with the spidery face of Scroop, who snapped his claws.

"Cabin boys…" Jim took out his gun and Sora summoned his Keyblade as Scroop leapt at them. Sora looked around and figured that it was too dangerous to be fighting in such close quarters, and so he and Jim began to run, Scroop following immediately after them. As Sora ran he decided to run backwards as best as he could while firing shards of ice at Scroop in order to slow him down. It was working…but only slightly.

"Sora, I'm ready!" Jim yelled and Sora wasn't sure what that meant but he didn't stop to think and instead turned around and ran full pelt down the walkway. He raced past Jim and stopped to see him holding the laser gun pointed directly at Scroop. Then the lights shut off and Sora once more groaned. There was a time space of ten seconds during which it was dark before the lights turned on and the both of them discovered that Scroop was gone. They looked around before Sora looked up, and at the same time Morph screamed.

"Above you Jim!" Sora yelled and Jim glanced up, only to be knocked to the floor by Scroop, losing his laser gun in the process. Sora leapt forward and aimed a kick at Scroop while bashing him in his stomach with the blunt side of his Keyblade. That gave Jim enough time to get up and the two immediately began running to the deck. They had just set foot on the deck, Scroop not too far behind them, when suddenly Sora felt himself begin to float. "What the-"

"Don't tell me he turned the artificial gravity off, too?!" Jim groaned but Sora guessed that was exactly what happened. Sora whipped around in mid-air and saw Scroop floating up to them. Jim dodged out of his way but Scroop had been aiming straight for Sora, and, with a simple hit that Sora didn't have the chance to avoid, he was smacked into the top portion of the mast. He groaned…usually he was good at flying…but there was always gravity in those situations for the most part anyway. But Sora still found himself to be slipping upward and soon he was caught in the flag. Scroop held onto the mast and opened his claw, placing it near the rope that held the flag to the ship. Sora attempted to extricate himself from the flag.

"Do say hello to Mr. Arrow…" Scroop said sinisterly. At last Sora was able to untangle himself and he grabbed onto the mast, just as the flag was cut loose. In anger, Scroop jumped at him but Sora dodged it and kicked Scroop into the flag.

"Tell him yourself! Wind!" Sora yelled, and with his free hand he held his Keyblade that produced a gust of wind that blew Scroop away, screaming and yowling. "Burn in the underworld, Mr. Scroop!" He waved his Keyblade again and sent a torrent of fire at the insect-like humanoid who screamed and yowled in pain…and was heard from no more. Then Sora felt a shudder as the gravity was restored and he fell next to Jim below on the deck. He rubbed his sides a bit, but otherwise felt no pain. B.E.N. soon emerged from another spot that led below deck as Riku sauntered up to them.

"Laser cannons disabled sir!" the android happily announced, but Sora saw the Keyblade was in his Riku's hands.

"Yeah…all I had to due was break them with a couple swipes of the Keyblade…" Riku mumbled under his breath and Sora chuckled. Soon after, all five of them were on the boat…or in the case of Morph, floating above the boat. They piloted it back down to the pirates' camp where they happily found that all the pirates were still sleeping and they crept back into the hole that would lead back to B.E.N.'s place. The trip took a little bit longer this time to make it back, but after about a half an hour they had emerged back into B.E.N.'s place, Jim going first. Sora was about to follow but Riku put a hand onto Sora's shoulder to hold him back.

"There's a faint smell of darkness in this place, now." Riku said and Sora looked at him, but he brushed it off, not too worried about Riku's strange vibe. He climbed out of the hole as Jim ran forward.

"Doc, I got it! I got the map!" Jim yelled, running up to the lump that resembled and looked like the doctor sleeping. Suddenly, the mechanical arm of John Silver came forward and grabbed the map from Jim.

"Why thank you, Jimbo…" Silver said ominously and suddenly the pirates all moved in and circled around the arriving group. Sora looked around and saw that all of their friends were being held captive.

"They snuck up on us from behind…quiet little sneaks!" Kairi spat as she wrenched her arm free. The pirates didn't care that she broke free as she went to join Sora. Sora snapped a look to Silver who seemed to be trying to open the map…but his attempts were proving unsuccessful. Jim chuckled a bit at his mentor's discomfort and Silver foisted the map rather forcefully into Jim's hands.

"Open it!" Silver commanded. Jim looked to the captain who shook her head and to the doctor who at first nodded but then shook his head. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were standing there rather impassively and Sora just gave a shrug. Jim looked down at the orb in his hands and began pushing buttons on the side of the orb and then spinning the top half. Suddenly the map glowed a brilliant green and a blue and green trail of what looked to be holographic images emerged from the map. Both Sora and Kairi gasped, technology was clearly quite low on the islands. All the pirates were stupefied by the glow but Silver got a greedy glint in his cyborg eye. He turned to his crew.

"Tie em all up and leave 'em!" Silver commanded, but just as soon as he said that the blue and green trail vanished back into the map. Silver turned to Jim with a look of rage and Jim just smirked.

"You want the map, you're gonna have to take me, Sora, Riku, Kairi, and B.E.N. too…" Jim said demandingly. Silver chuckled.

"We'll take 'em all!" Silver proclaimed and the pirates began moving along their captives to the longboat back at camp. The trip to the longboat didn't take too long and only when they were there did Jim open the map again. One of the pirates started up the skiff and immediately they began humming along after the trail of green and blue. When they at last saw that the pulses that ran along the line were starting to go faster, they figured they were getting close and a great number of them disembarked. The pirate with a massive head and teeny-tiny body remained behind to guard Doppler, Amelia, and the members of the Disney Castle Court. Therefore, all the wielders of the Keyblade were kept on close watch as they strode forward.

"Jimmy, I don't know about you, but I'm starting to see my life flash before my eyes!" B.E.N. began to exclaim and Sora saw Riku twitch out of the corner of his eye. "WAS I EVER DANCING WITH AN ANDROID NAMED LUPE?!!!" Riku summoned his Keyblade and bonked the droid on the head.

"Shut up!" Riku hissed. "This isn't over yet…but if you keep talking I will give you such a huge dent you won't even remember you exist!" That shut B.E.N. up for certain as they strode forward, out onto the very precipice of a cliff where there was…

Nothing. The light just stopped and the map in Jim's hands closed. There was no treasure, no cave, no anything that could remotely relate to a treasure. Silver rounded on Jim, angering more and more by the second.

"What's goin' on?!" Silver roared and Jim was trying desperately to try and get the map open again but to no avail.

"I don't know…it's not opening…" Jim said, his voice reaching into the strains of panic. One of the pirates lost their temper and knocked Jim to the ground. Suddenly they all started arguing about killing the Keyblade wielders as well as Jim. But in the meantime, Jim was looking at the ground. He cleared away a patch of moss and without a moment's notice, he plunged the orb into a small socket. They all felt a tiny lurch as lights appeared in the distance and coalesced to a single point right in front of them, forming a great big door shaped like a triangle. Directly in front of them a holographic stand that was circular opened up and Sora saw that it looked exactly like the star mp he so often looked at when departing for a world. All of them looked into the door and gasped.

"Th-that's Twilight Town…" Sora stammered out as he looked upon the sunlit streets of Twilight Town. Kairi looked at it closer and rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing correctly.

"But that's halfway across the galaxy!" Kairi commented. Jim stood up and looked at it. He strode up to it and pressed a small dot that, upon closer inspection, was shaped in the form of a crescent moon. The triangle in front of them closed for a second before it opened upon a new location that was foreign to Sora, Riku, and Kairi.

"Montressor Spaceport…" Jim breathed out and Sora stepped forward. He bent down to the map and pressed one of the planets. The process was repeated and soon he saw the sandy beaches of Destiny Islands. He pressed another one and Radiant Garden appeared, then another as he saw Agrabah. He pressed a strange looking shape and the interior of the mouth of Monstro even appeared.

"Even Monstro is here…" Jiminy said, nearly leaping out of Sora's hood. "This is going in the journal for sure." Sora smiled, but he didn't want Jiminy hurt so he pushed him back in his hood. He pressed one last button and the clean pristine halls of Disney Castle appeared before him. Next to him, Jim chuckled slightly.

"A big door…" he breathed out and Sora tried to remember where he had heard that before. Then he remembered that it was what B.E.N. had told them when they first met him. "So that's how Flint did it. He used this portal to roam the universe, stealing treasure."

"But where'd he stash it all?!" Silver roared out and he pushed Jim out of the way. Instantly he began pushing multiple buttons. Sora thought he saw a glimpse of Beast's Castle and Olympus Coliseum as he flashed by…and even a shot of Port Royal. But never once did they look upon a great heap of gold. But B.E.N., who was only a short distance away, was staring to remember something.

"I remember something about a…a…treasure. It was buried in the…" B.E.N. began but Jim was able to finish up the tail end of it.

"The centroid of the mechanism…" Jim said in awe before realization his Riku.

"What if the planet is the mechanism…I mean, there is all that machinery." Riku said and the point hit home to all of them. The pirates even began to try and dig their way down but Silver was not to have his patience tested.

"How in blue blazes are we supposed to get there?!" Silver screamed as spit flew from his mouth. Jim strode over to the holographic image of the galaxy.

"Open the right door…" Jim said, and he pressed the button that resembled Treasure Planet itself. The door closed, and when it at last opened they saw before them mounting piles of gold and silver and jewels the likes of which Sora had never seen…even in the Cave of Wonders. Jim put his hand through the portal and attempted to step through but Silver pushed him back and pushed through himself. But Riku's hand held him back.

"Watch out, there's a laser there…it's probably a trap to stop us if we trigger it." Riku said and Silver nodded at him in thanks. Riku would have loved to see him captured but he knew that it would probably involve them as well. So they made sure to be extra careful that nobody touched the laser as they stepped into the centroid of the mechanism. Soon, all of them were inside, admiring the beauty of the treasure that was there. Many of the pirates ran off to collect a lot of treasure and one even yelled that they were going to need a bigger boat. Silver walked off with happiness etched even in his cyborg eye. But B.E.N. seemed to feel uneasy.

"You know guys, I-I-I'm starting to remember a lot of things and I definitely remember something about this place." B.E.N. said but nobody was paying attention to him. Instead they were all looking in the distance to where a great ship was perched atop the mountain of gold.

"Come on guys…we're getting out of here." Jim said with a grim determination. "But we're not leaving empty handed." So Jim led the way onto the ship. Riku felt a slight twinge in his senses as they climbed aboard the ship but he decided to ignore it. As soon as they stepped aboard the boat they were met with the visage of the decaying and decomposing Captain Nathaniel Flint.

"Captain Flint!" B.E.N. yelled out in shock. "In the living flesh…I mean, not that he has anything that even remotely resembles flesh in any way or organs that could make him living…" All four of the companions ignored the android's ramblings and sought to check out every corner of the ship. Sora took the time to examine Flint's body and saw something there in Flint's dead and decomposed hand. "It's so odd," B.E.N. continued on, despite the fact that nobody was listening. "I remember there was something horrible Flint didn't want anyone else to know but I-I just can't remember what it was. Oh, a mind is a terrible thing to lose!" Sora ripped away the bones from the object Flint was holding and the bones broke into dust. Sora picked up the object and saw it was a slightly rusty bronze color with red and blue wires sticking out of it. He turned towards the android and it hit him.

"B.E.N., I think I just found your mind!" Sora brought the chip near B.E.N.'s head and in a single moment, like a magnet it attached itself.

"I think…" the robot began before it overloaded him for a moment…and then he realized something. "Wait, I'm thinking…my memories! It's all flooding back to me, up until the time Flint pulled my memory circuit so I could never tell anybody about his booby trap!" All four of them snapped a look to him and then there was a large explosion. Kairi looked up in shock.

"But…didn't that laser thing probably activate the booby trap?" Kairi asked in absolute confusion. "We never even touched that thing!" But Riku then realized his previous twinge for what it was and he leapt off the ship, staring towards the entrance. His eyes narrowed and he stared at the form of a boy dressed in black clothing with brown hair, standing at the entrance.

"Gentai!" Riku yelled and Sora and Kairi jumped off the ship. As they jumped down they heard B.E.N. say one last thing that frightened and chilled them to the bone.

"Flint wanted to make sure nobody could ever steal his treasure so he rigged this whole planet to blow higher than a Kalepsian kite!" B.E.N. screamed. Many of the pirates rushed past Sora, Riku, and Kairi even as they strode towards Gentai. Gentai let the pirates past but the Keyblade wielders saw he had the most wicked smile on this place.

"You…" Sora seethed in anger as he summoned his Keyblade. "You were the one that destroyed Pelusa!"

"That was an accident." Gentai countered calmly. "I was just trying to raze the planet…is it my fault that the world was so old and weak that it decided to die?"

"What are you doing this for?" Kairi screamed, angry with Gentai beyond any imagination. "This planet never did anything to you. Why are you destroying it?"

"There's no one living on this world…not really, so why does it matter?" Gentai said calmly and with a simple shrug.

"Because it doesn't matter if there are people or not, no world deserves to be destroyed!" Kairi screamed in rage.

"Oh, like my world didn't?" Gentai gave a disturbing chuckle. Behind all of them there was a large blast from a laser cannon that began to sever the orb of treasure in half. "If one thing happened to my world such as it did, so should all worlds have the same fate mete out to them!"

"You're insane!" Riku yelled, not wanting to believe how far Gentai had fallen, yet having his blood coursing with hatred towards the young boy he had once called a traveling companion. Gentai let off a snicker.

"Maybe…but I'd be more worried about you and all your friends getting out of here alive. You only have five more minutes." All three of the friends looked at each other and then back towards the ship. There was a burst of light and when they looked back, Gentai was gone. There was a clatter of gold and jewels and when they looked back at the ship, they saw B.E.N. running straight towards them.

"We gotta get goin' fellas!" Without another word they fled after B.E.N. Nobody stopped to think about anything until they ran just outside the portal. There was a great gust of wind around them as the _R.L.S. Legacy_ floated down with Doppler driving the wheel and Goofy sighting ahead. Mickey helped them up.

"How did you guys get out?" Riku asked with a touch of humor.

"I found out that I have abnormally thin wrists, that's how!" Doppler said and Kairi and Sora noticed that behind him, Amelia smiled. Mickey turned to them with all seriousness.

"What's going on?" Mickey asked with concern.

"Flint rigged this whole planet to blow and Gentai set the trap off." Sora said very quickly as if convincing himself that by spitting it all out it would be gone forever. Mickey looked taken aback but Sora looked around as Mickey and Riku began talking. "Where're Jim and Silver?" Nobody spoke and Sora realized where they were. He turned around.

"No, Sora, don't you dare!" Kairi demanded, knowing exactly what Sora was planning to do.

"Don't worry Kairi, I'll be okay." Sora said, giving her a peck on the cheek in order to reassure her. "Goofy, I need your shield!" Goofy looked at him confusedly for a moment but obliged, handing him his shield. Sora ran to the edge of the ship. He gave them all a thumbs up and ran off the ship. He ran forward, carrying both the shield and his Keyblade until he stepped through the portal.

In the distance he saw Silver grabbing the ship that was about to get sawed in half while also trying to reach for Jim, who was hanging from a ledge…and nearly slipping. Sora tossed the shield onto the treasure heap that remained where its momentum carried it farther. Sora jumped forward and landed on the shield, riding it forward like a skateboard. They weren't going to have much time so he had to hurry. But a ridge shot up unexpectedly. He shot up into the air, heading straight for one of the cannons. He rose his Keyblade before him, and with a mighty cry, severed the cannon in two. Then he landed on the shield and rode it up to silver.

"Silver!" Sora yelled and Silver took a moment to look at him.

"Ah, Sora, help a lad, won't you?" Silver said in a strained voice. Sora shook his head.

"No, you've got to grab Jim!" Sora said and Silver looked at him as though he were mad. "Is a treasure really worth another man's life? I can help you both but you have to reach for Jim!" Silver seemed caught between the treasure and the boy who regarded him as a father. He looked back and forth.

"Oh, blast me for a fool!" Silver yelled just as Jim dropped. But Silver's hand shot out and caught Jim and pulled him up, just as the cannon that threatened to destroy the ship did so. Sora extended his hand and grabbed both Silver and Jim up to his level.

"We've got only one chance out of here." Sora said. He held the tip of his Keyblade to Goofy's shield. _Merlin's magic, don't fail me now…_ "Grow!" Instantly, the shield grew to triple its size. Sora indicated to the other two to get on and they obeyed. He sat behind both of them. "Let's go…Propel!" A jet of very strong wind and gas flew from the tip of the Keyblade immediately shot them over the heaping piles of treasure. They rode along fairly smoothly as all of the treasure broke apart.

"Sora!" Silver yelled and he indicated a ridge they were about to go over. But just past that ridge was another ridge that Sora knew they would hit the edge and topple down into the abyss. He stood up and as soon as the shield flew over the first ridge, he jumped from the shield and angled his Keyblade downward, striking the ridge and breaking it apart. The shield landed safely and without a hitch and Sora proceeded to propel them forward until they had at last reached the gate to the portal. Sora muttered the spell "Mini" as they ran out and the shield shrunk to normal size. At last they broke through the portal.

"Silver, you gave up!" Jim exclaimed, shocked over what Silver had done.

"Just a lifelong obsession Jim, I'll get over it." Silver told him as the _Legacy_ floated down.

"Two minutes and thirty four seconds to planet's destruction!!" B.E.N. cried and Sora leapt up on the ship, helping both Jim and Silver up with the aid of Riku. Silver saw the captain.

"Captain, Your Majesty, you dropped from the heavens in the nick of-" Silver began to say but the captain cut cleanly across him.

"Save your claptrap fro the judge Silver." the captain said before turning to both B.E.N. and Doppler. "Doctor, metal man, take us out of here."

"Aye aye, captain!" B.E.N. exclaimed enthusiastically as the ship turned around and started shooting away from the portal. Kairi hugged Sora right away, relieved to know he was safe. But their reunion was cut short when they heard a large crunching noise and saw one of the sails rip away. "Uh, thrusters are at only 30 percent captain."

"But that means…we'll never clear the planet's destruction in time." Doppler said with worry but Jim already seemed to have the cogs in his head whirring.

"We have to turn back." Jim said. Sora was shocked for a moment but soon realized exactly what Jim had in mind. "There's a portal back there that can take us out of there."

"Great idea Jim…" Riku said. "Except for one thing: that portal opens onto a raging inferno."

"He's gonna change that Riku!" Sora said as he ran up to Jim who was gathering materials. Many of the people onboard the ship were shocked and couldn't think of anything to say but they most surely didn't want to turn the ship around.

"Listen to the boy!" Silver yelled and he joined Sora and Jim in assembling a solar surfer.

"Since when did Sora become smarter than me?" Riku asked Kairi who shrugged with a small chuckle, despite the current circumstance.

"I heard that Riku, and this is NOT the time for hurtful sarcasm." At last Jim just needed something attached and Silver was happy enough to oblige. The group of three then hoisted the surfer onto the railing where Jim leapt up.

"No matter what happens to me, keep the ship moving towards that portal." Jim instructed them and they nodded. Then Sora grasped Jim's hand.

"When you reach the portal, hit the icon for Disney Castle, do you know it?" Sora asked, making sure Jim understood his instructions.

"I saw you touch it earlier." Jim said with conviction and Sora nodded with a smile.

"Fifty eight seconds!!!" B.E.N. yelled. Sora then pushed Jim off as he activated his solar surfer. All of the members ran to the railing to watch Jim flying off towards the portal. Silver whipped around.

"You heard him! Get this blasted heap turned around!" Silver yelled and Doppler reluctantly obeyed him. They all held fast as the ship turned and started heading for the portal. Sora looked on as Jim flew towards the portal. He was pretty good at flying, Sora remarked to himself. But in a few seconds he saw that Jim's surfer nearly went out of power. They all gasped, all hope almost gone. But suddenly Jim shifted the surfer around, and using the friction force that came from the wall, ignited the engine again and shot off towards the portal. But now, Sora could only hear B.E.N.'s countdown in his head.

"Ten…nine…eight…" Sora was hoping Jim would make it there in time. "Seven…six…five…" Kairi was biting her nails almost, fearing they would never make it out alive…that she could never marry Sora… "Four…three…" Riku's face was set. If death was coming his way so be it. "Two…one…" And then there was a bright, white light.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Whoo!!! That was a VERY long chapter wasn't it. I tried to make it as exciting as possible however and I hope you enjoyed it. Gentai's a little nuts though isn't he? I guess I left you with a tiny cliffhanger but not too bad. Next chapter is a chapter I've been building towards since Chapter 11…so you can probably figure out what it will pertain to. In the meantime, we are coming very close to the _**Sky High **_**portion of the story so watch that movie if you wish to be up to speed. Regardless, please review and Dare to Be Silly.**


	8. Chapter 32: The Situation with the Queen

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Disney Castle...but oh, do I wish I owned a PSP for when Birth by Sleep comes out.**

* * *

Chapter 32

The Situation with the Queen

"_Queen Minnie, we're back."_

-Donald Duck

Two weeks. It had been roughly two weeks to the day that King Mickey Mouse had set out on the adventure to secure the seven…well, really only six left, Princesses of Heart. And she was already missing him terribly. When the king had been missing for a full year it was very hard for her to run day to day things throughout the castle. But the thought that Donald and Goofy, and eventually Sora, were looking for her husband were enough to sustain her. Well, of course there were also the letters that he sent her periodically, but two weeks wasn't enough time for him to be gone and send her a letter.

Regardless, Minnie Mouse had her own mission to do, one that was left to her by the king. She would do anything to help him out and so that was what she did. On this particular day, two weeks after Mickey had left with Demora and Kairi; Queen Minnie Mouse had found herself in the castle library looking through books, albums, scrolls and spells.

"Oh, where could it be?" Minnie asked with trepidation, trying to find where it was. "I know that the king told me that the history of the Chasers was here somewhere…but where could it be?" Minnie put a finger to her mouse-like chin and thought. She had no idea why Mickey wanted such tomes of literature to be found but if he wanted them found, she would be more than happy to oblige.

However, after two hours of fruitless searching in this morning alone she was ready to give up on finding that dratted book and hoping that the king knew where it was when he got back here…whenever that was. She looked at the clock ticking on the library wall right above the fireplace where the fire was crackling merrily. No matter how much darkness could befall the worlds, she was still safe here, and for that she was grateful. She sighed inwardly and thought that maybe she could pick up the task of finding that lone book later in the afternoon, after a small break fro tea and lunch. After all, she had found practically all of the documents which King Mickey had asked her to procure. She straightened some of the folds out in her dress and started walking towards the library door so she could soak in some sun from the colonnade.

But just as she was within five feet of the door, they came bursting open and a very disheveled Max appeared, standing in the doorway. Minnie looked at him a moment, wondering why he would appear so out of sorts and this time. Max quickly bowed to the queen before saluting her.

"Your Majesty!" Max said in as commanding a voice as he possibly could. Minnie nodded her head, indicating that Max should continue with whatever he came to tell her. "You have some guests waiting outside the gates of the castle who wish to see both you and the king." Minnie cocked her head to the side, confused by this new development. She had not been waiting for anybody to come to the castle, nor did she know of anybody who was planning to come.

"How many guests, Max?" Minnie asked sincerely and it seemed for a moment that Max gulped before he gave her the answer.

"Fifty or sixty." The whole entire world seemed to stand still for Minnie.

"That's an awful lot of guests…" Minnie said, concerned at this overwhelming amount of people waiting at the gates to her castle. "Do you think they want to hurt us?"

"To be honest, Your Majesty, I think that if they wanted to hurt us, they would have done so a long time ago and wouldn't have asked to see you." Max stated simply and Minnie nodded, considering this thought in her own head. Then she looked up at Max and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Well, Max, please escort their leader to the audience chamber and have the other guests wait outside in the colonnade." Minnie said. Max saluted and bowed to her once more before he took off down the colonnade. Minnie sighed to herself and followed after him very slowly. Disney Castle was always sunny and today was no exception as light streamed down into the courtyard where Minnie had wanted to have her picnic. But now there was a new situation and it was one she was going to have to deal with without the help of Mickey or the rest of his companions. After only a few moments she had reached the expansive audience chamber.

She made her way down the red and blue carpeting to the throne that sat at the end of the hall. On most occasions she would never so much as touch the king's chair out of deference to his role within their world. That was why she merely strode up to it and stood next to it in the king's absence. She waited for only a few moments when at last, the large double doors at the entrance of the audience hall swung forward in their own wide berth. Max was the first one stepping through and there were ten people following in his wake. However, Minnie was not able to get a great look at who was behind Max until they had reached the space directly in front to f the throne. Max moved off to stand next to the queen.

"May I introduce Alexander Garibaldi, leader of the…?" But Max tapered off as he forgot the name that had been mentioned and their leader knelt in front of Queen Minnie. The leader was wearing a white robe that seemed similar to what a ninja might wear but one could easily tell that he was wearing a cloak and that was why it looked as such. His face was uncovered and both his sparkling green eyes and mouth had a kindness on them, even if they were hardened features. But the most striking aspect of Alexander Garibaldi's figure was his flaming red hair that was very low cut. In fact, it almost seemed as if he often cut his hair in order to keep it that short length. Behind him, the other nine figures bowed before the queen.

"Your Majesty, Queen Minnie…" Alexander began to say with humility before Minnie rose her hand and he stood up to his full height. "I am, as your faithful Captain of the Knights has stated-"

"Temporary…" Max grumbled, slightly wondering what his father was up to. For the most part he tried to avoid his father, but since Goofy had left he started to miss him more and more. Alexander chuckled a small bit.

"My apologies, as your _temporary_ Captain of the Royal Knights has stated, I am Alexander Garibaldi, but I am often called by the name of Edge." He had a kind smile on his face and the Queen seemed to see that there was no malice within him.

"Very well, Edge…but, uh, what are you doing here?" Minnie asked the man and he nodded his head slightly.

"I had heard that His Majesty King Mickey had been venturing to secure the Princesses of Heart. Upon hearing this, I knew that I must seek him out after that journey was complete in order to find out what was going on." Edge tilted and cocked his head towards the queen. "I had heard he and the Keyblade Master were divvying up the duty and so I gave them a week to secure the princesses. I have come to secure an audience with the king." Minnie shifted around uncomfortably.

"Well, I'm afraid that the king isn't here. Since he left two weeks ago he has not returned or had any kind of contact with the castle." Minnie said with concern and this time it was Edge's turn to shift around uncomfortably.

"He isn't back yet?" Edge said with his own measure of concern. "I would have thought…if he's not back yet, do you think there may be a problem?" Minnie shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, indicating that she was not sure what to believe in this situation. Edge quickly took off his cloak and threw it onto the ground. Underneath was revealed simple white pants and a snug white shirt that seemed to be worn by ninjas. Edge lifted his fingers to his chin and stroked it. Then, suddenly there was a rumble in the audience hall. "What's going on?"

"I have no idea…this has never happened before." Minnie said with a slight amount of fear. Edge cocked his head at the nine companions that had joined him in the room and they immediately surrounded the queen in an effort to protect her. Soon after this a great triangle opened in the room and Edge leapt backward. In what seemed to be a flash of flame, two weapons had appeared in his hands. One of them was held pointing straight in front of him and the other was in his other hand and pointing backwards and away from Edge's body. Upon closer inspection, Minnie realized that Edge was in fact holding two Keyblades.

One of the Keyblades was bright red and seemed to have the blade issuing forth in billows of flame and smoke. The bottom area, or the hilt, seemed very similar to the chakrams that Axel had used, which Jiminy had showed them in the journals after the last adventure. As Minnie looked at the other one, she saw that it was a simple wooden Keyblade, or similar to it, but the blade was like a shuriken that was sprouting forth. The two Keychains that were dangling from said Keyblades were those of a flame and one of a crystal. But Edge was not concerned with the Keyblades he was holding, but rather what was emerging from the triangular portal.

A very large ship flew out of the portal and Edge, his companions, Max, and the queen had to leap out of the way as the ship landed with an almighty crash on the castle floor and skidded along until at last hitting the wall with such a force that the castle shuddered but remained intact. Circling around the ship was a young seventeen year old who was screaming loudly in pride, and so were, it seemed, everybody on the ship.

"Didn't I tell ya the lad had greatness in him?!" yelled a voice from aboard the ship and Edge walked up to it. Painted on the side of the ship were the words _R.L.S. Legacy_. There was a great amount of boisterous laughing from aboard the ship.

"Oh, Riku, I know you don't like hugs but get ready, cause I'm gonna hug ya!" came another voice and Edge realized that perhaps the objects of his pursuit were aboard that ship. There was a crunching sound of metal against flesh and then after a few seconds. "Oh, Riku, you patted me on the back."

"Come on, fellas, we're back home!" came the cheery voice of the king and he flipped off of the ship. He landed and took a brief look at the ship that had landed in his audience chamber and at his companions that were coming off of it. Of course, as they all scrambled down they realized that the portal was now gone along with Treasure Planet. Sora was the first to realize the strange conglomeration of men standing a short distance away.

"Who's that?" Sora asked the king and he turned around to face the men. Edge immediately bowed low.

"Your Majesty." Edge said with reverence as he bowed low before immediately bringing himself back up. Mickey screamed out in delight at the appearance of this man in his audience chamber.

"Alexander!" Mickey yelled and Sora, Riku, and Kairi all looked at each other.

"Who?" they asked simultaneously and followed the king over to the man.

"Sora, Riku, Kairi, this is Alexander Garibaldi, or Edge as he is commonly known throughout the worlds. He's a Keyblade wielder." Mickey said and it had almost seemed as if all three of the other Keyblade wielders mouths dropped as low as they could.

"But-but…" Kairi stammered out and was at last able to string her thoughts into a cohesive sentence. "But I thought all the other Keyblade wielders had died in Terra's onslaught a year ago?" Edge chuckled slightly.

"No, not all. Me and my men escaped Terra's searches and hid away in a place that we figured none would find us in: Castle Oblivion…not to mention we were searching for the Room of Awakening only to find that with Xemnas, and now Terra, gone it matters little if we find it or not." Edge said with a smile that seemed wholly genuine to all of them, though Kairi could already feel that both Riku and Sora didn't like the guy because of his attitude. "Ever since we left after news of Maleficent's recent troubles, we've been journeying from world to world, helping out with what we can since this latest purge."

"What's with the name 'Edge'?" Riku asked in a mocking tone, but Edge did not seem to pick up on it.

"I met a friend on a place called the Blue Planet, name of Edward Geraldine…he called himself Edge and I thought, 'wouldn't it be great if I were the edge of a sword against my opponents?' and so I took the name Edge for my own on other worlds. Though I altered my name based on my Keyblades. Dancing Flame." He held up his fiery red Keyblade before holding up his other one and gesturing to it. "Latent Rage. With those two names I took a new name for myself…'The Flaming Edge'." Sora gave a start and Edge gave a smirk.

"Wait! Yo-yo-you're the Flaming Edge?!!" Sora asked with utmost surprise and confusion. Kairi turned to look at him.

"You know this guy?" Kairi asked and Sora kind of shrugged his shoulders.

"Not really…we met once…but…how?" Sora stammered out.

"Surely you noticed me when we met here, what with my white clothing and red hair?" Edge asked, almost sarcastically and so Sora couldn't tell what he was meaning behind his quote.

"Yeah…but the last time we met it was during a blizzard on top of a mountain and-" But Sora was unable to finish his thought because Edge cut straight across him, angering Sora at the older man.

"Your Majesty, clearly you have just arrived and would like to clean this mess up immediately. I have fifty other Keyblade wielders standing at the ready in the colonnade, ready to help." Edge said with a bow and Mickey nodded.

"Then call them in here. Help Captain Amelia and Doctor Doppler to a stateroom along with B.E.N. and Jim. In the meantime, take Mr. Silver and the other pirates in the brig to the prison cell. We'll meet in the library when we're all done." Mickey said and Edge nodded, striding away towards the double doors with his other nine companions.

"Think he'll get lost?" Riku said with a smirk.

"I hope he does…" Sora said with a disgruntled look on his face. Kairi just rolled her eyes and then Sora looked around and realized something. Both Silver and Jim were missing…and if Silver wanted to get away, then there was only one place he could go. Sora quietly slipped away from Riku and Kairi, who were starting a small argument regarding the arrival of Edge, and so they didn't notice that he had left. It took Sora quite a bit of self-composure when he saw all the Keyblade wielders milling about the colonnade, but he managed to slip past them unseen. he darted down the red carpeted hallway until he hit the courtyard where he saw Jim strolling across its green pasture. "Jim!" Jim turned around as Sora approached him.

"Hey Sora." Jim said with a smile and Sora knew that he was up to something.

"I was looking for you in the audience chamber but you weren't there." Sora said. Jim just shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"Well, I needed some time to think. The captain offered me a placement at the Interstellar Academy and I'm not sure if I should take it." Jim said, his eyes twinkling slightly.

"Go for it! The only way to make your dreams come true is if you go for them…I mean, you only live once…except in my case." Jim gave Sora a confused look and Sora chuckled slightly. "Never mind…so what are you really doing out here?" Jim breathed out a slight chuckle and hung his head.

"Nothing gets past you does it?" Jim said with a smile and this time it was Sora's turn to shrug his shoulders.

"No, an awful lot does, but not about you." Sora said with the brightest smile in the universe. "So are you gonna tell me what you're doing here?"

"I caught Silver tried to sneak away and I was trying to follow him, but I lost him here." Jim said with a near apologetic look to Sora. Sora laughed loudly at that comment.

"He's probably heading for the Gummi Hangar, come on!" Sora led Jim to the topiary castle and to a set of doors at the base of the castle. Sora pulled on the doors and they opened to a winding staircase with brick walls surrounding them. Sora led the way down the stairs and to a crown shaped portal that would take them into the hangar. As they got closer they heard voices issuing from the room.

"Morphy, we gotta find a ship and be making tracks!" Silver's voice came and a short "I know" issued forth from the little pink glob named Morph.

"You never quit, do you?" Sora asked as the two stood in front of him in the hangar.

"Ah, Sora, Jimbo! I was just, er, there were such fine ships here and I was just checking them out and making sure the security systems on the boats were good and tight." Silver gave them a smile. Sora laughed a he understood how Silver had found the place.

"Well, your x-ray vision on that cyborg eye of yours should be able to tell us if they're good and then we can get going. Chip and Dale would be most grateful. Unless you want to have us tie the Gummi Ships in here." Sora said with a toothy grin and Silver seemed to laugh sourly.

"I taught you fellas too well…" Silver sighed out before clearing his throat and looking at them with determination. "Now, if you don't mind, we'd just as soon as avoid prison. Little Morphy here, he's a free spirit…being in a cage…it'd break his heart." As if on cue, Morph started to whimper. Sora looked sadly at the old cyborg. Sure, he had made a lot of bad decisions recently…but was he all that bad inside. Riku said he only smelled the darkness of greed…but if the treasure was gone, then perhaps that greed had disappeared. Sora shook his head and strolled over to the control box, flicking a witch that not only carried a Highwind model over but also opened the gate for takeoff.

"There you go Silver…be a free man." Sora said with a happiness that surprised even him.

"Bless you lads. What say you ship out with us, lads? Silver, Hawkins, and Sora, full of ourselves and no ties to anyone!"

"I've got some ties I need to take care of. I'm the Keyblade Master, comes with a fixed position and no fixed pay rate…something you could appreciate." Sora said to Silver.

"That I can…and what about you Jimbo?" Silver said, sincerely hoping that James Hawkins would go along with him. Jim looked out of the gate to the outside worlds.

"You know, when I got on this boat, I would've taken you up on that offer in a second…but I met this old cyborg and he taught me that I could chart my own course…so that's what I'm gonna do." Jim said to Silver and Silver stepped forward, putting his mechanical arm on Jim's shoulder.

"And what do you see of that pal of yours?" Silver asked, almost seeming to be crying.

"A future." Jim simply replied.

"Why, look at ya, glowing like a solar fire. You're somethin' special Jim. You're gonna rattle the stars you are." And Sora watched in happiness as Silver and Jim hugged before parting as Silver rubbed his eye, saying something about grease in it. Then Morph began to cry and almost turned himself into a puddle of water.

"Oh, it's okay Morph, I'm sure we'll see each other soon." Jim said with a warm-hearted smile at the pink glob.

"See ya soon." Morph jabbered out before flying back up to Silver. Silver looked at him for a moment.

"Morphy…I got a job for ya!" Morph snapped to attention to listen to Silver's orders. "I need you to keep an eye on this here pup!" Morph smiled and flew over to Jim, who was just as happy to have Morph as a pet. "So Sora, which ship should I be takin'?"

"Well, it seems like you want to get away fast…that's why I brought the Highwind up." Sora said as he pointed to the ship. Silver thanked him wholeheartedly and climbed onto the top of the ship. He was about to climb in the cockpit when he stopped. He pulled some gold out from his pocket and threw it to Jim.

"For your dear mother…to rebuild that inn of hers!" Silver said and Jim said one last thing before Silver dropped in.

"Stay out of trouble you old scalawag." Jim said with a chuckle laced in his words.

"When have I ever done any different?!" Silver cried and he dropped into the cockpit and took off, clearly indicating that he knew how to fly a Gummi Ship. Sora smiled at Jim and they turned away. In the courtyard, Sora directed Jim to where the king was having their guests stay while he headed quickly for the library. When he got there he found everyone was already gathered, though the space seemed rather cramped with him, Riku, Kairi, Edge, his nine companions, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Max all in one space.

"There ya are Sora!" Mickey cried out as Sora emerged. Sora looked at him and then decided to say something regarding Silver.

"Silver's gone! He escaped using a Gummi Ship!" Sora cried out and a worried look crossed over Mickey's face, but his next set of words denied the thought that he was worried that Silver had flown the coop.

"But we were gonna use one of the ships to send all of them home…now we'll need to have Chip and Dale build one since we can't spare any other ships at the moment." Mickey said with a concerned look. "Anyway…"

"Were you able to clear the ship out?" Sora asked immediately, not meaning to cut across King Mickey but happening to do so anyway.

"Yes…" Edge answered for him and Sora shot him a distasteful look that he even noticed Riku was giving the man who had fashioned himself as "The Flaming Edge". "We were able to break it up and use our magic to vanish it."

"I've promised Amelia a large sum of munny to cover the expense of building a new ship like the _Legacy_." Mickey said. "But now, let's get down to business." Mickey sat down in the chair behind his desk. "Edge, may you introduce these nine people to us."

Sora found the introductions rather boring but he had managed to get the gist of who they all were. Apparently, they were the nine generals of the Order of the Crown, a play off of the original Round of the Crown, with Edge at the head, being their commandant. The first was Matthias, who had wispy white hair yet very kind eyes and seemed to have been doing this for quite some time. The next in line was Lucas, a strong, able-bodied man with brown hair and green eyes. Onyx was next with his black hair and brown eyes that were so dark that anyone could have sworn they were black. Next up was Marcus, a younger member and very kind looking, but according to Edge he held a ferocity that could match even the toughest beast.

Following this were the two female members of the generals: Miriam and Elizabeth who both had long and flowing brown hair, but one had blue eyes and the other green respectively. This left the final three members of the group. Antonio and Donato were two brothers, twins actually with dazzling hazel eyes and long black hair that they believed would sweep any woman off their feet forever…thankfully, it didn't work on Kairi. And lastly there was Cothius with graying hair and even more gray eyes that almost made him look as if he had a rainy day, veiled across his features.

Sora had listened to the story, but both he and Riku found themselves dozing off more often than not. However, from what they recollected it was that Edge found himself to be wielder of the Keyblade, traveled around, met a bunch of others (this was clearly after Organization had been defeated, according to Riku) until he had built up his order. However, they were never able to find a suitable base and Terra had been tracking them in an attempt to hunt them down. Eventually they were able to settle in Castle Oblivion and train there for many years until they felt it was time to leave. As it turned out, they were the visitors that Hades had had before Sora arrived and had attempted to help out Shang and Mulan at their wedding. Sora realized that this meant he was the one who saved him…but it didn't make him like the guy any more.

"So…run at least one part by me again…" Sora asked after Edge had had been speaking into absolute silence for about half an hour. Edge looked at him expectantly. "What're the names of your Keyblades again?" Sora heard a snort of laughter issue forth from Riku behind him and Sora grinned. Edge took on a sneering face.

"Latent Rage and Dancing Flame." Edge answered with as much patience as he could muster.

"Kingdom Key!" Sora announced proudly…and almost patronizingly. Riku stepped forward.

"Way to Dawn!" Riku announced and Kairi spoke her own Keyblade name in little more than a whisper. Edge shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah? So what? I know all of this information already." Edge stated with a small amount of impatience at the two friends' antics in his presence. He had heard the Keyblade Master was a little naïve, but was he so naïve that he would act like this around him.

"Don't need to get so snippy!" Sora said with an offended look on his face that only Riku and Kairi could tell was being faked. Edge took a step forward.

"Do you have some kind of a problem with me, Sora?" Edge said but Sora wasn't given the chance to answer for soon after Mickey intervened.

"Look, we have time to settle this all later. Right now we have more pressing matters." Mickey announced to the room at large. All the heads turned to him.

"So what do we do Your Majesty?" Sora asked humbly, slightly forgetting his current argument with "The Flaming Edge". Edge was the one that stepped forward.

"If I may Your Majesty…Maleficent and your friend Gentai are moving even while we do not. We need to take them out and quickly." Edge said and Mickey nodded his head a little bit. Sora snapped a look to Edge.

"And how did you find out about Gentai?" Sora asked incredulously, wondering how this man they had just met could already know about such recent events.

"The king told me just a little while ago. Is there a problem with that Sora?" Edge asked, his anger starting to grow and escalate rather quickly.

"Oh no…no problem at all…" Sora said, turning away from the red-haired man. But then he whipped around. "But I do have a problem with you! You think you can just come in here after sitting it out for most of the game and act like the leader of us!"

"Sora?!" Mickey cried out in shock at what the Keyblade Master was saying or doing.

"I'm sorry Your Majesty, but really, look at this guy. He could have been helping us. If he hadn't sat out of the game, Demora wouldn't have had to die! None of all these recent tragedies lately would have happened!"

"I agree with Sora, Mickey, I'm sorry to say." Riku said with a scowl on his face that was matching the one Sora wore. "We've been fighting this battle against Maleficent for years and all he and his little generals have been doing is occupying some Godforsaken castle in the middle of nowhere. He could have helped search out the princesses of heart or helped me and Gentai look for the Huntsman!" Edge took a step forward, his rage building to nearly unprecedented heights. "But instead he stands here and hides like a coward!"

"You would call me a coward?!" Edge bellowed, his anger now pouring forth upon the silver haired Keyblade wielder. "I have more honor than you'll ever have!"

"Yeah but no way to keep it!" Riku yelled, his rage matching Edge's. "I have a scar on my back, courtesy of my fight with Xemnas. And Sora has a huge scar oh his cheek thanks to our battle with the Huntsman. What do you have, _Edge_?" He spat the word out like poison but before Edge could retort Mickey had leapt onto his desk and yelled out "SILENCE!!!" The room did indeed fall to silence and Mickey relaxed.

"Sora, Riku, as much as you might not like it, Edge is right. Both Gentai and Maleficent are a threat and we need to split up, which is why I'm sending Donald and Goofy to look for Gentai." Mickey said while staring pointedly at the duo. Donald and Goofy both saluted.

"You can count on us!" Donald yelled and he and Goofy exited the library toward the Gummi Hangar. Kairi looked at the king confusedly.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, we're more familiar with Gentai so shouldn't we be the ones that-" Kairi began but Mickey cut across her before the conversation could cut itself out.

"Exactly. You're so familiar with him that he'll smell you coming from a mile away. We need someone less familiar to track him down…that's why I'm sending you three after Maleficent's Hellfire Club." Mickey ordered them and Riku took a step back.

"Whoa! I am not going anywhere near Prydain right now!" Riku said in defiance and Sora calculated in his head that there was only one place left to go.

"Then that leaves Maxville and Royal Pain…what about you, Your Majesty?" Sora asked the king, inquiring as to what his plans were.

"I'm going to stay here with Edge and work on getting that ship completed to send them all off…also, there are some documents I need to look up." Mickey said and Sora nodded in acceptance.

"Can we use the audience room as a staging floor for going to Maxville?" Sora then asked, the idea forming in his mind of using the Keyblade portals that they could now use since they weren't traveling with one who didn't wield the Keyblade. Mickey simply nodded and Sora grinned. "Just the three of us, huh? It'll be just like old times!"

"What? You and Kairi are lazy all day while I do all the work!" Riku said with a smirk and Sora put on a pouting face.

"Hey, I did my share of the work!" Sora argued with him and Riku laughed.

"Yeah, two days before we set off!"

"You know what, I resent that!"

"Oh yeah…just like old times…" Kairi sighed out. "Only this time you won't be arguing over me, and we'll be on another world…" Sora and Riku grinned sheepishly for a moment at each other, remembering with a slight pang all the times that they had fought over Kairi. Kairi sighed. "Yep, just like old times."

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: There we go! The Flaming Edge is revealed at last and I've changed his description on my Profile Page. Truthfully, he is actually based off of Edge from Final Fantasy IV since that was my favorite character from that game but he's a little different. I know, Sora and Riku don't like him but he's not a bad guy, honest. I hope you like how I wrapped up _**Treasure Planet**_** and brought in my OC (technically there were ten OCs in this chapter but that's besides the point). And now they are heading to Maxville for the **_**Sky High**_** portion of this story and some awesome fight scenes in the next two chapters…so prepare yourselves and watch the movie. You'll have about a week to do so before I start posting again (maybe a little less or a little more…). Now, we're at a good point so I would like to know, am I making good on my promise that Part II would blow your mind? Let me know in a review, and Dare to Be Silly.**


	9. Chapter 33: Flying High

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Sky High at all in this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 33

Flying High

"_And don't dare to fail me again!"_

-Maleficent

Night on the streets of Maxville was silent, more silent almost, than death itself. Whether this was because people could sleep silently due to the efforts of the Commander and Jetstream or because of the pallid faced sorceress walking her way down a particular street remained to be seen. All that could be known was that this sorceress oozed with an icy fury that could have frozen any area of the block had she not kept her wrath in check. She herself, felt it was useless to appearing so far away from the house where Royal Pain resided just so that no suspicion could be thrown onto whoever's house it was. Regardless of this, she had to respect their decision, though it did not make any sense to her…anything that could help her come closer to controlling the worlds, was welcome indeed.

But tonight was a very different matter. Tonight her darkness-filled heart was actually troubled. In all the long years of her struggle with the Keyblade Master; after all of their skirmishes and trivialities and even their temporary alliances, never before had her heart been filled with fear save for once before…and now. Therefore, it was quite a good thing to her that the sky seemed to darken and the lights winked out as she walked by them all, so that her dark cloak was concealed in the darkness. Anybody who walked their way onto the street that night would be absolutely blinded and unable to see until she at last passed.

At last, Maleficent reached the house she had been seeking. She walked up the cobblestone steps of the walkway, such a provincial and welcoming thing for such a most surely unwelcome guest on their world. Her pale hand reached out and rapped lightly on the door. Soon it opened up and the face of a jester dressed in what seemed to be pale pajamas appeared. The makeup on his face disgusted the mistress of all evil but she was here for a purpose.

"Someone dressed up a little early for Halloween?!" The man said before letting off a high pitched and cackling laugh. Maleficent's hand shot forward and grabbed the man by the throat. He squealed a bit. "Uncle! Uncle! Uncle!" Maleficent released her grasp and immediately the man ushered the sorceress inside the home. At long last, the lights outside went back on as her darkness receded. The jester led Maleficent down a hallway and to a secret door that opened and admitted the both of them inside. There was a figure sitting in a high-backed chair observing something on a computer screen that looked to be some kind of underground sanctum.

"Looking at the Stronghold's again, eh?" the jester said with his annoyingly high cackle. "That robot eye is almost as big as his ego!"

"Silence!" said the figure in the chair. "We need only wait before revenge is ours…we just need the proper item…" The figure seemed to be controlling what was being watched on the screen for the camera moved around and it stuck on an object.

"King Kamayamayhem's Surfboard?" the jester asked doubtfully and Maleficent was almost ashamed to be in such company.

"Dang this joystick!" the figure yelled and jostled the joystick they were holding around until it fixed itself on a slightly strange looking laser gun.

"Ah…the pacifier…good plan." the jester said and Maleficent snickered.

"I should certainly hope that it works Pain." Maleficent said, in as threatening a voice as she could muster. The figure in the chair suddenly swiveled around to reveal the chrome-plated figure of Royal Pain. Their whole entire face was covered, as was standard when they were in their secret lair.

"Maleficent!" Royal Pain said in surprise and Maleficent raised an eyebrow in Royal Pain's direction. "What are you doing here?"

"I come to bring you news…and I believe it needed to be delivered personally." Maleficent said with a sneer. Royal Pain could tell instantly that she was not happy and so intended to listen intently. "The Huntsman has fallen…near a week ago."

"But…why come now? If it's been a week why have you only gotten around to telling me now?" Royal Pain said indignantly as though they believed Maleficent did not think them important enough to tell at the time of the event's occurrence.

"I have had more important affairs and matters to attend to. Even just now, the Horned King is being informed by Pete." Maleficent said with a near flaming fury and Royal Pain would have cringed, had they allowed themselves to show weakness.

"What affairs? What could possibly be going on that would delay you telling us such a vital piece of information?" Royal Pain was genuinely confused at this notion and, thankfully for them, Maleficent saw fit to clear up the matter.

"The boy Gentai has turned on his friends…but I assure you he has not and I don't believe ever will ally himself with us. he is starting to cause more trouble than even I have foreseen and I have been mired in circumstances which are unavoidable in this situation." Maleficent seemed to be pulsing with anger as Royal Pain looked closer at her. "My plan to break him and all the worlds backfired and so we must take action…are your plans fit for accelerating?"

"I can have the plans finished by the end of this week if that's what you want." Royal Pain, hoping that the speed they were working at would be acceptable enough to the near-glowering form of the evil sorceress. Maleficent nodded in satisfaction. "And what of the Keyblade Master? From how I take it, he took down Morgana almost single handedly…and he always seems to show up when people like us are about to succeed." Maleficent chuckled slightly.

"If Sora and his pestilential friends should arrive…crush them, string them along, I care not, just get them out of the way somehow!" Maleficent ordered. Royal Pain was even more confused by this remark.

"But I thought that you wanted revenge on Sora for destroying you eight years ago?" Royal Pain and Maleficent's lips curved into a smile that almost scared the armor off of Royal Pain and the creepy jester costume out of Stitches, their sidekick.

"Oh, I shall…if you defeat him…then he shall gnash in the Underworld as I destroy all his loved ones. Until then, make sure you utilize the Heartless to your advantage…but hurry up, and don't give me another situation like the Huntsman!" Maleficent then cackled loudly before disappearing in a rush of green flames that nearly scorched the room in which Royal Pain and Stitches were sitting in. Royal Pain groaned in frustration.  
"Oh, that witch has no appreciation for all the work I've put into technology here!!" Royal Pain yelled and Stitches began to rub their arm comfortably.

"Hey, maybe we should build her a fireproof robe?!!" Stitches cackled out before Royal Pain's armored hand reached out and grabbed Stitches by the throat. "Uncle. Uncle. Uncle."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The nicely manicured lawn outside of Sky High that was decorated wonderfully was silent and empty thanks to all the paranormal students who were currently participating in the higher institution of learning known as high school. But it wasn't to remain that way for very long. A bright light came out of nowhere in the midst of all the bright yellow buses so it blended in slightly. The shape of a keyhole appeared amidst all those buses and three people stepped out of it: a boy with spiky brown hair, a girl with reddish hair, and a boy with long silver hair.

Sora gave a brief and confused look at the buses around them but after only a few seconds, opted to move out into a more open area. Riku and Kairi both followed him like obedient puppies though even Sora didn't exactly know where to go. Once they had cleared the long line of buses and stepped into the open and empty lawn, Sora stopped and turned back to Riku.

"So…uh…where are we exactly?" Sora asked his best friend who shrugged his shoulder kind of halfheartedly.

"Like I would know…when I came here last time, it was at night and Royal pain had their Heartless on watch. We had just enough time to fight them off and find the Keyhole…which happened to be on that sign board right over there…not much chance to explore though." Riku answered simply, though Sora wasn't particularly satisfied with the answer, crossing his arms and glaring at him. While the boys were having their slightly silent feud, Kairi decided to take a look on the board that Riku had indicated earlier.

"Sky High…" Kairi said thoughtfully and it managed to pull the two oblivious boys out of their argument in order to stare at her with something akin to their usual confusion.

"What did you say, Kairi?" Sora asked, thinking he had heard the word "high" but not exactly certain of it. Kairi looked at them with raised eyebrows and then pointed to the sign. Both of the boys took a moment to look at it before looking back at each other and sharing a similar reaction. "Oh no…"

"High school! _High_ school!" Riku groaned out, not even wanting to think about going back to school after he had graduated, what was it now, five years ago. None of them went to the only college on their island after graduating from Destiny High, their own small local high school that only had kids that lived on their islands. Riku's memories were bad enough of that place when he returned for his junior year. He had skipped his sophomore year and Sora had been lucky enough to have missed his freshman year. Of the three of them, Kairi had the most education in school.

Either way, they were adults now, and none of them wanted to go back to school in the first place. Each and every one of them had bad memories of that higher institution of learning. Riku, who had been surrounded by fangirls ever since he got back, had been through so many dates in his junior and senior years of high school it would almost want him to puke…not to mention, Selphie constantly hitting on him was a great annoyance. Of course, Sora had just as bad memories. After finally getting used to high school in his first year he decided to branch out as Junior Year and started a business with Riku known as Keyblade Masters, Inc. which amounted to them saving cats in trees and then later foiling a plot to attack the islands. That was also the time that Kairi had broken up with him for the timespace of two weeks before and during prom, a bad memory for them both. That was not to forget that Kairi also had the memories of dealing with Selphie's hyperactive self on her own during their freshmen year. That led them to only one thought…

"Well…maybe the school will have nothing to do with our mission, right?" Riku asked hopefully but Sora shook his head, shooting down that idea in an instant.

"No…usually whenever we'd land in the Gummi Ship, we'd meet wherever the action was starting to go down and I would seriously doubt it would change with the Keyblade…the thing has, like, a mind of its own." Sora said with a very worried look on his face. Kairi then cleared her throat to voice her own thoughts.

"Uh…guys, in case you haven't noticed, we're a little too old to pass for high schoolers and a little too young to pass for teachers." Kairi said, stating the fairly obvious. Sora scratched his chin but Riku chuckled a bit.

"We could stand for over-mature seniors…" Riku said thoughtfully and Sora and Kairi both brightened up at the idea but Riku gave them a near-glare that shot them down. "But I am not being in the same year as you pipsqueaks…or even close…and I call senior year."

"Excuse me!" Sora said, putting his hands on his hips but leaving his right arm nearly detached so that he could summon his Keyblade in an instant. "What do you want us to be: freshman?"

"Well…since you did miss your freshman year…I feel that it is only fair that you become a freshman if only for a little bit." Riku said with a shrug of his shoulders. Sora grumbled a little bit, but couldn't find his way out of the argument, and Riku knew that Kairi would go along with it just to be with Sora. Thus Sora quickly summoned his Keyblade and cast an aging spell that he had been working on for a few years. Riku refused to allow the magic anywhere near him, but when Sora threatened to singe off certain parts he submitted to it and allowed his hair to be shortened slightly and the slight beard he had been growing shaved off. Sora himself had to get rid of the stubble on his chin but he was such a boyish person that there was no problem with the rest of his features. Meanwhile, Kairi would have considered this all a carnal sin if it wasn't necessary and so allowed herself to have her hair shrunk a bit and she grew just a fraction shorter.

"Now all we have to do is say that we're really mature for our age…but my aging spell only works so well." Sora rubbed the back of his head as he said all of this. "I mean, Merlin didn't teach me the finer aspects of casting the spell. If we need to spend more than one day here we'll need to recast it each day."

"Sora, if we spend more than one day here, I'm like to go insane…and we'll need somewhere to sleep." Riku said with a scowl on his face that Sora nevertheless ignored.

"Riku's got a point…we don't have a Gummi Ship, and we can't go disappearing in random bursts of light that will freak out more than a few people." Kairi said, agreeing with her best friend.

"All right, all right, I get it!" Sora yelled in defense of himself. "Look, we'll be fine, we'll make some friends like we always do, hopefully bunk with them and be on our merry way. I have the means of contacting the king so we should be good." He briefly brought a small computer console out of his pocket and showed it to the three of them before putting it back in. "Now then, if that's all, let's not waste time here and enter the school to start our search for Royal Pain."

The other two saw no more sense in arguing with Sora and instead opted to follow him forward, despite the fact that they knew he had no clue where he was going. Soon they entered in through a set of double doors to a brightly illuminated and slightly empty hallway that was filled with some students who were milling about on their break from classes. Sora put on one of his cheesiest grins and proceeded to walk down the hallway as though he knew every inch of where he was. However, their stride through the halls of Sky High did not last very long.

"Um, excuse me!" a female voice called out and the three Keyblade wielders stopped short. They turned in the direction of the voice to see a girl wearing a pink sweater with long, flowing brown hair striding toward them. "Hi, I don't think I've seen you here before." The three stared blankly at the girl and only one thought echoed in all their heads: _Say something!_

"Yeah…we're, um, what are we again, guys?" Sora asked, hoping that his friends could proffer some kind of answer, and Riku was able to pick up the slack.

"Sorry for my friend's ineptitude. We're transfers here to Sky High, just arrived today." Riku said with a gleaming smile so as to offset his thought of _Crap, why didn't we think this through?_

"Oh…" the girl said with a smile and she extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Gwen, Gwen Grayson, the student body president. I suppose you should just follow me then. I'll take you to the gym for Power Placement." Without another word, and no chance for them to ask what she was talking about, Gwen had set off down the hall. The three companions gave a look to each other and began to follow her as fast as they could. Sora had managed to catch up to her first.

"What's power placement, exactly?" Sora asked with a mixture of confusion and almost like one who just wanted clarification.

"Oh, Power Placement is where you show Coach Boomer your power and he judges whether you'll be a hero or a sidekick. I'm a hero, naturally." She flicked her hair with this statement and for some reason Sora couldn't help but feeling like he wanted to cringe. No more was said on the subject and very soon after this they had reached the gym. "I'll go and get Coach Boomer for Power Placement." With that, she left the trio standing in the gym of Sky High.

"She smells…" Riku said and Kairi gave him a stern look and a light slap on the arm.

"Riku, it's not nice to talk about people's body odor like that!" she snapped at him and he gave her a merely confused look.

"No…it's much fouler…like she has darkness in her…a deep one." Riku said with a scowl and Sora shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, we can't do anything without real proof in a school environment…a smell just isn't good enough." Sora said when suddenly there was a whirring noise and the three looked to see a platform raising up into the air, a man with white shorts and a navy blue jacket and hat standing on top of the platform.

"Listen up." The man said and all three looked at him. He was holding a clipboard and looked down at them through a pair of sunglasses which he soon took off. "My name is Coach Boomer, you may know me as 'Sonic Boom'. You may not."

"Sorry…can't say I do!" Sora said with a grin and both Kairi and Riku laughed.

"Did I ask you, freshman?" Boomer said to him and Sora glared in the coach's direction. "All right, here's how Power Placement is going to work. You will stand up here and show me your power and tell me your name and I will determine whether you will be a hero or a sidekick." Once more, the three companions looked at each other, as though amused by the dichotomy presented to them. And yet, they seemed to be communicating with their eyes that they had to choose their own powers. But Boomer cut them off as he pointed at Riku. "You there, emo boy. Up front and center!"

"I resent that Coach Boomer." Riku said with a slight snarl. "And the name's Riku."

"All right, shut up and power up," Riku smirked and formed in his hand a nimbus of dark energy which he then shot at one of the pillars in the gym. It instantly went through it, leaving a great gaping hole. "Hero! Butterfly girl, you're next!" Kairi mouthed the words "butterfly girl" and wondering how they even possibly applied to her since she had nothing on her that seemed remotely like a butterfly. "So, what's your shtick?"

"Um…I'm Kairi and, uh…I use the power of my light to heal…though sometimes it can be used as a weapon…it all depends." Kairi said all this quickly and with a faint smile on her lips. Boomer smiled at her but then soon dropped it into a frown.

"Sidekick. Spiky, you're next." Sora also scowled at this mention as he stepped up onto the platform.

"Name's Sora." Sora said proudly and he quickly summoned the Keyblade into his hand and held it in front of him. Boomer looked the silver and gold Keyblade up and down.

"So…you can summon a giant, oversized house key…impressive." Sora smiled at the coach but soon his own smile dropped. "Not. Sidekick." And before Sora could protest he was pushing the three of them out the gym doors with their class schedules in hand, not letting them utter a single word.

"Who does he think he is?! Sidekick?! That's even worse than being a Junior Hero!" Sora yelled, wanting to vent his frustration with the coach by planning a truly evil notion of singeing his pants off with a fire spell.

"Oh relax, Sora, we're in it together and that's all that counts. Now come on, let's find our room and get to the task of hunting down Royal Pain." Kairi said and she began dragging Sora along down the hallway. Riku gave a smirk and called after them.

"I'll see you at lunch, sidekicks!" Riku called and Sora groaned loudly as Kairi led him down the hallway. Soon they had reached Room 249 that plaque that was outside reading "Mr. Boy". Sora knocked on the door before he pushed it open on a room filled with bright-eyed and bushy tailed students. An older man with graying hair was standing at the front of the class.

"Oh, you must be the transfers that Boomer told me about." said the man and Sora and Kairi both nodded. "Well, come in, my name is Mr. Boy and welcome to hero Support!" He had said it with such an enthusiasm that even Sora couldn't help but smile. "And what are your names?"

"I'm Sora and this is my…girlfriend Kairi. We're from very far away." Sora said and Mr. Boy nodded at this. He then instructed the two of them to sit in the only seats available in the classroom. Sora sat next to a boy wearing a red, white, and blue shirt with brown hair while Kairi sat next to a girl with red hair and a green shirt that seemed to be decorated with flowers.

"Hi, I'm Layla!" said the girl as Kairi sat next to her and Kairi shook her hand with a smile. Sora got the same warm welcome, but not from the person he was sitting next to, but rather many others surrounding him.

"I'm Ethan." said a boy in an orange sweater and glasses while extending his hand to him. Sora shook the hand with a smile before turning to the next person who introduced himself.

"I'm Zach." Sora shook his hand and then he decided to introduce himself to the boy next to him whose name he learned was Will Stronghold. Sora immediately decided that he liked Will just as Kairi had decided that she liked Layla and the girl Magenta she had also met. Ironically, like Sora and Kairi, Will and Layla had been friends for a very long time and both of them assumed that Will and Layla were dating but Will denied it, however Kairi could tell that Layla didn't want to.. However, before they could get into the flow of conversation, Mr. Boy started the class up once again.

Roughly fifty minutes and a good nap later (at least in Sora's case), the group of seven was heading off to the cafeteria for lunch. Sora, however, had already found something new to complain about within Sky High's school system.

"Homework?! We have to do this test by tomorrow?!" Sora groaned as they sat down at an empty table with lunch in hand (which to Sora looked like only a measly helpings).

"We can do it at my house tonight. The Commander is out saving the world and all…" Will said with a grin that Sora thought was a little bit false. Before he could answer though or say anything he felt a pair of hands cuff him on the shoulders.

"What's happening, sidekick?" Riku said with a snigger laced into his voice.

"You say that one more time, I'll smack your head off." Sora said as Riku sat next to him. Ethan almost fell off of his chair in shock.

"Whoa, a hero, sitting with us?" Ethan said in surprise and Riku just gave him a look. Sora decided to turn the conversation away from that.

"So, find out anything?" Sora asked Riku in a low whisper and Riku shrugged his shoulders. But, deciding that it would seem awkward to those on the outside he soon picked up his voice for another statement. "Yeah, I wasn't able to find us a place to stay for the night."

"Wh-why do you need a place to stay for the night?" Will asked of his seemingly newfound friend.

"Oh, right, as transfers, our parents just moved here and they've been having difficulty finding room for more than just two so they asked us to make new friends and…you know…" Riku and Kairi would have chuckled inside because Sora's story was turning out good, despite the fact that he was sweating bullets.

"Well, I could ask my mom and dad, since you're coming over for homework tonight and all that." Will said with a smile and Layla said a similar thing about asking her mom for Kairi, who refused to room with the two boys. Sora smiled at Will but then noticed someone sitting behind Will who was glaring at him with a passion. Sora leaned over to Zach.

"Hey, Zach, who's that kid over there?" Sora asked with a slight touch of concern in his voice.

"Oh, that's Warren Peace. Will's dad busted his dad." Zach said with an irrepressible shudder as he went back to eating his food and Sora could only decide that perhaps he needed to keep tabs on that kid.

A few hours later, Sora, Riku, and Kairi had experienced their first day at Sky High and were none the worse for the wear, but neither were they better. Admittedly, the Sidekick class had experienced a real treat when, in the middle of their Sidekick gym class, sparring had broken out among the two teens with Keyblades flashing back and forth. That left some reason to wonder why they were in sidekick class but still…Riku split off with them to hang with some members of the hero class in order to try and get a vibe on some more people. Will gave Riku his address as they all headed off to do work at Will's house. Unfortunately, it was only five minutes in when Kairi found Sora already asleep. She hit him over the head.

"What, I didn't steal Merlin's teacups I promise!" Sora yelled while snapping into an upright position. Kairi rolled her eyes as Sora regained his bearings. Will cleared his throat.

"Umm. OK, Number One: a radioactive zombie is charging at your hero. Do you hand him A) a silver tipped crossbow, B) a wooden spike, C)" But before Will could get onto C Zach had already cut across him.

"Yo, that's so weak, man. I'm already holding his crossbow. Why can't I shoot him myself?" Zach complained and Sora thumped on the back, wholeheartedly agreeing with him.

"Cause we're hero support." Ethan declared with a slight touch of sadness. "And if your hero asks for his crossbow, you hand it to him."

"Or her." Layla corrected sagely, though most of them brushed her off. Sora rolled his eyes this time…Donald and Goofy had never helped him unquestioningly before.

"Besides Zach, you can't kill a zombie, you can only re-kill him." Ethan replied and Sora snorted in amusement.

"Or her!" Layla corrected once more before a much more imposing figure came into the room.

"If you kids are all in here, who's out there saving the world?" the man with very muscular features and brown hair said to the room at large and Sora and Kairi could only guess that this was Will's dad, the "Commander" that they had heard so much about.

"Dad, why're you home so early?" Will asked with a certain sense of shock at his father's appearance.

"After I stopped the superdome from collapsing, I was watching the game and got to thinking that it's been a while since you and I tossed the old pigskin around. So I thought I'd hustle back home…but I see that you and Layla have already made some new friends." Steve Stronghold said and Ethan jumped up, stating what an honor it was to meet the Commander in person. "What's your name, what's your power?" And so they listed off their powers: Ethan could melt apparently, Zach could glow, Magenta shape-shifted into a guinea pig and Kairi stated that she could heal while Sora summoned…an oversized house key. Will's father seemed only partially satisfied however. "Great…great! Well, I make a mean tuna fish salad sandwich. Anybody want one?"

"Yeah I'm kind of-ow!" Sora had tried to respond but Kairi had soon hit him over the head. With that, Steve retreated to the kitchen with Will following shortly after them. Sora took the moment to rest while Will got a drink from the fridge before they returned to their homework. The peace didn't last long.

"WASHED OUT?!" Steve yelled and Sora jolted from his seat. "Boomer…Didn't make the big time so now he thinks he can pass judgment on some real heroes' kids. Oh it's a power trip, Will! Sonic Boom? Try gym teacher man!" Sora glanced at Kairi as both could tell that the confrontation was heating up.

"No Dad, it's not Coach Boomer. It's me. I don't have any powers." Will said and Sora at last understood why he had to introduce himself to Will in the first place: Will had not wanted to be in the sidekick class.

"But you always made it seem like…" Will's dad said and Will's next words almost made Sora feel his pain.

"Like I had super strength, like you? But I don't. And maybe I'll get my powers, maybe not." Will said in a matter-of-fact tone. "But I don't care. Because the fact of the matter is, I'm proud to be a sidekick." Will's body came back into the room for a moment before it went into the kitchen once more. "Actually, I'm proud to be Hero Support." With that, Will fully came back into the room and sat down on the couch next to Layla. He smiled at them and the air in the room seemed tense, so Sora decided to break it.

"Uh…Will, could you remember to ask your dad about the…?" Sora said and Will smiled at him, acknowledging that he would while also thanking him for diffusing the tension. Then Will picked up his paper and pen to answer the next question which Ethan read off.

"Okay, your hero is running up a skyscraper and his villain is falling from the top of the skyscraper at the same velocity. At what angle should they be for the hero to successfully slam the villain against the side of the building?" Ethan said and the homework fest began. Around seven that night, everyone had finally finished their homework and had gone home and Kairi had left with Layla, giving Sora a kiss on the cheek before she left. Riku arrived soon after that. The Strongholds accepted them as part of the family and set them in the living room on the couches where they would get a comfy sleep. Sora felt he had only just dosed off to sleep when he heard a yell from the adjacent couch.

"No, I won't! NO!!" Sora and Riku sat bolt upright at the same exact moment. Sora looked at Riku and saw that he was sweating like he had never sweat before.

"Whoa…Riku, you okay?" Sora asked, concerned over what had just happened with his best friend. Riku attempted to wave him off but Sora could tell that something was wrong in his best friend's eyes. Riku decided to no longer hide it.

"I've been having dreams lately…of when Xehanort possessed me…they're becoming more frequent…the last one I had was a little over a week ago on The New World." Riku said, wiping his forehead from sweat. Sora looked at his friend. "It scares me Sora…what if-what if he's trying to take over again?" Sora looked thoughtful, pensive and Riku knew that he was truly thinking about his best friend's well-being. But a few minutes later he shook his head.

"No, Riku…that's not gonna happen. Even last time, Xehanort couldn't control you completely and it won't happen this time! You're Riku no matter what!" Sora declared and Riku smiled at his best friend…he could always count on Sora to cheer him up. After a quick round of arm wrestling for fun the two went back to bed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning dawned bright and cheery as Will, Sora, and Riku walked to the bus stop where they met up with Layla and Kairi who actually happened to live just down the street. Of course, little was it known to the two residents of Maxville that in the early hours of the morning their guests had snuck out of the house in order for Sora to re-cast the aging spell on them as it was beginning to wear off. Regardless, they finally had a full meet with Ron Wilson, Bus Driver and found the guy to be quite likable. Thankfully, they were able to take the bus ride to review facts and make strategies.

"Okay…so we didn't get anywhere yesterday." Riku said with a slight scowl on his face and Sora shrugged his shoulders.

"Unless you count making new friends and asking Will's dad about Royal Pain because we were interested. Turns out Royal Pain has supposedly been 'dead' for years…Will's mom and dad were the ones that defeated them." Sora said in a slightly amused tone and Kairi looked vaguely surprised.

"Well…that's a start, but do we even have any suspects?" Kairi asked, hoping that her two male companions could use their brains and think of something.

"Well, there's that Warren Peace guy that I asked Zach about. He was glaring at Will the whole time." Sora said in a hushed whisper so that nobody but Riku and Kairi could hear.

"I don't know…he didn't smell too dark to me in Mad Science. I'd be more worried about that Gwen girl that we met when we first got here. I'll try to figure out as much information as I can and I'll tell you at lunch." Riku said and that pretty much told Sora and Kairi that Riku had a bunch of classes with Gwen. Soon after this, the bus arrived at Sky High. All of the students got up and started getting off the bus until a hand came into the bus and ripped Ron's hat off his head. Sora, being one who had a zeal for justice, ran out of the bus, summoning his Keyblade as he did so.

"Hey! Who stole his hat?!" Sora cried and saw a rather lanky kid standing there yelling "Where's your hat, Ron?" while a much bigger white blur was spinning around like a pinball machine almost. "Give it back!" Sora demanded, holding his Keyblade out at them. The big blur stopped to reveal a rather burly male.

"All right, Speed, give him his hat back." the lanky boy said. The bigger boy, Speed, took off Ron's hat and threw it right into the mud. Then the two boys headed off into the school. Sora groaned and picked up the hat, cleaning it with a spell before handing it back to Ron. Then all of them headed into the building together. Sora hated bullies, always preying on the weak…well, while he was here he was going to make those two boys' lives as miserable as possible.

For the most part, the first half of the day was extremely boring as they sat through more of Mr. Boy's classes. He announced that they were going to be taking a day off on Friday in order to get ready for the Homecoming Dance. Sora and Kairi found this information new to them and Sora wasted no time in asking his fiancée to the dance and she readily agreed. Thankfully, lunch was soon upon them and they were sitting with their new friends again, waiting for Will and Riku to arrive. After a few minutes, Sora saw Will coming with his lunch tray. He waved his arms.

"Hey, we saved you a seat!" Sora cried and Ethan stood up saying that he had saved a pudding. However, moments after he said this, Speed came dashing by and swiped his pudding. Sora thought nothing of it, convinced he would deal with them later until Will tripped, his lunch splashing all over Warren Peace's table. Warren stood up instantly and began advancing on Will. Sora could sense a fight coming and he walked over to where they were as quick as he could.

"Sorry." Will said, somewhat feebly and Warren gave him a look that could kill cats.

"You will be." Warren said, his black hair draping across his face.

"Let's not do this." Will said in an attempt to get out of the situation.

"You think you can do whatever you want 'cause your name's Stronghold?" Warren said angrily, now only a few inches away from Will.

"I'm sorry that my dad put your dad in jail but…" Will began but everybody in the room could instantly tell it was the wrong thing to say for Warren picked Will up by the collar of his shirt.

"Nobody talks about my father!" Suddenly his hands lit up with a great flame and Will backed off from Warren as Warren's arms were lit with even more flame. Will's friends were all worried about him and Sora found it very hard to stick to that rule that he shouldn't meddle. Kairi however had other plans when she saw Mr. Boy.

"Mr. Boy, do something!" Kairi yelled and Mr. Boy nodded, throwing down his drink and running out of the room screaming for Principal Powers. Meanwhile, Will had garnered up a lunch tray for his defense but Warren threw a fireball at it and it melted. Warren then started tossing fireballs at his archenemy and Will noticed the fire alarm in the distance. Will went running for it but somehow tripped. Warren tossed more fireballs his way as Will managed to climb under a lunch table for defense. Warren climbed on top of the table to hurl more fire his way but stopped after a little bit.

"Where're your sidekicks, sidekick?!" Warren yelled and all of Sora, Kairi, Layla, Ethan, Zach, and Magenta came forward with Sora at the lead.

"Right here, hothead!" Sora proclaimed and Warren lit up even more, everybody backing away but Sora and Kairi.

"Leave them alone!" Will said, pushing up on the table. And suddenly the table was lifted up off the ground and the realization hit everybody in the room: Will Stronghold had super strength like his father at last. Will smiled and he tossed the table into the air, Warren crashing down to the floor. But Warren got up moments later and Will raised his fists. Warren came charging at Will and with a simple punch; Warren went crashing through the wall into another room.

"Think I can't take a hit!" Warren yelled as he emerged from the room and had his whole body begin to alight with flame. He ran forward and Will looked powerless in this situation. Sora summoned his Keyblade and ran forward.

"Water!!" he screamed and a trail of water issued forth, dousing Warren with a simple spell. When he was at last on the floor, cooling down a shadow was cast over them. Sora looked and saw a woman dressed in black and silver clothing standing there and he could only assume that it was the principal and they were in trouble. The principal beckoned all three of them with a simple finger and they followed, slightly crestfallen. She led them down a hallway and to a white room, motioning for them to enter. They obeyed.

"I didn't do anything though, he started it." Will protested but Warren rounded on him.

"Your dad started it, and now I'm gonna finish it." Warren seemed to attempt to light himself up but there was merely a clicking sound and nothing happened.

"Don't bother. The Detention Room neutralizes all super powers. Sit." the principal demanded and they had no choice but to obey. "Here at Sky High we do everything we can to teach you how to use your powers. But what you do with them, that's up to you. Living up to your father's reputation or trying to live it down, or even trying to prove yourself is a sad waste of talent. Your talent. Try to keep that in mind the next time you're about to do something stupid." With that the principal left the room, leaving all three of the boys sitting there.

"All right, look. Whatever happened with our dads, it has nothing to do with us. What do you say?" Will said, extending a hand to Warren but Warren merely threatened to roast him alive if he crossed him again and Sora figured that he didn't want to be doing that anytime soon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night had actually been a rather happy affair in the Stronghold house despite the fact that Will and Warren had together nearly destroyed half the cafeteria. Still, Will had his powers and his dad was more than happy. Sora was even bursting with happiness as he saw this and it brought to mind, of course, the thought of children again. It kept rearing its ugly head the more and more he tried to avoid it. And yet, here was Will's dad, so proud of his son and finding such joy in it. And yet, his dad put his life on the line everyday in order to keep his son safe so why couldn't Sora?

That was why, the next day he would resolve to tell Kairi something but unfortunately he didn't have time as everybody was swarming around him, both on the buss and in class.

"Dude, you made sidekick history!" Zach said, giving Will a high five.

"I don't know about that." Will said modestly.

"No, seriously." Ethan said to his friend. "From now on, people mess with us at their own peril."

"You're breaking down barriers Will. Proving we're not just heroes and sidekicks." Layla said with happiness before Mr. Boy came in and ordered them all to take their seats. However, it wasn't very long after this that Mr. Boy told Will that he had a new class schedule and Will left, slightly sad that he was leaving his friends. When lunch finally rolled around Sora was actually almost hopping up and down in anticipation to see how hero class was from a freshman. When they got to lunch however they found that Will was sitting with Gwen Grayson and her friends, namely a black girl named Penny, did not want any sidekicks to sit there. So they were all forced to eat lunch without Will. Soon after this, however, Riku at last arrived.

"So, did you find out anything?" Sora asked and Riku cocked his head to the hallway, indicating that they should talk there. Sora and Kairi followed him out.

"I don't know how close we are to finding Royal Pain but I found out stuff about Gwen. Apparently she's a technopath, she can control technology with her mind…oh, and she told me that apparently she's going to be Will's private science tutor…whatever that means." Riku said with no extraordinary amount of disdain.

"What? You think she might be trying to get close to Will?" Kairi asked Riku and he merely shrugged his shoulders. Sora put a finger on his chin in order to think about this.

"Hmm…if she is, we might want to keep a close eye on her." Sora said but before the conversation could continue any further there seemed to be a commotion coming from around the corner in the hallway. The trio rushed over to find Will forcing Lash (the lanky boy, as Sora learned he was called) and Speed to let Ethan and Zach out of lockers.

"Not so tough when my boy's around are you?" Zach said defiantly as he came out of the locker.

"You think you're so big and bad, huh, Stronghold?" Lash said with a sneering tone.

"Please. Will will totally take you!" Ethan proclaimed and Sora could tell that Will was getting flustered.

"You saw what happened to Warren? You want a piece of that?" Zach said, exacerbating the situation.

"Watch it Stronghold. That big mouth is gonna get you in trouble…so why don't we just settle this in P.E.?" Speed said proudly.

"You're on. If Will beats you in Save the Citizen, you lay off the sidekicks for the rest of the year!" Ethan challenged.

"You got yourself a deal." Lash said and he and Speed left the scene, leaving a very flustered Will.

"Guys, are you crazy?! No freshman ever won Save the Citizen and those guys are undefeated." Will cried out, frustrated with what his friends had just done.

"And you barely know how to use your powers." Layla said before she realized that she had said entirely the wrong thing. "Sorry, not helping." Will just groaned and stalked off. Little did Sora know that they had only ten minutes to go and the gym was packed tight for Save the Citizen Sadly the first match ended badly for the heroes (as Lash and Speed were villains).

"Ramirez, Hamilton, your citizen has just been mulched!" Boomer announced to the crowd. "Villains win. Next round. Speed, Lash, you wanna be heroes or villains?"

"Villains." Speed replied and it truly made it seem like that was the most obvious.

"Ooh, there's a surprise…who do you want to face?" Boomer asked and Sora could immediately tell what was coming their way.

"We'll take little Stronghold and…uh…Peace." Speed announced and both Will and Warren stepped down onto the playing field, adorning what seemed to be battle armor. Boomer quickly explained the rules of the game: the heroes had three minutes to save the citizen and defeat the villains…if they didn't, they lost. Clearly, the villains had the advantage and so Sora knew it wouldn't end well when Boomer yelled out "Battle!"

Lash immediately stretched his arms across by grabbing onto two poles. Speed used his arms like a bungee cord and shot forward like a pinball machine, knocking both Will and Warren over. Warren got up and Lash immediately went on the offensive, wrapping his arms around Warren to prevent him from doing anything. But Warren lit himself up and burned off Lash as his fingers began to blister. Meanwhile, Will was getting the crap beaten out of him by Speed as Speed kept rushing by and knocking him over. At the same time, Warren was beginning to toss fireballs at Lash, who was avoiding them. Thankfully, Sora saw that Will had figured something out. He jumped into the air and punched the ground, sending a shockwave through the air that tripped up Speed and threw Lash off balance. Will quickly picked Lash up and tied him to a pole in the area.

However, it was at this moment that Speed started running in very quick circles around Warren, cutting off his oxygen supply and depleting the flame. By now there were only ten seconds on the clock and so Will made a decision. He ran up to Speed and grabbed him before letting him run loose, straight into Lash. Will then picked Warren up and threw him at the citizen which he grabbed and landed at the other side, unscathed. The crowd cheered wildly as the heroes had won and Boomer sent Lash and Speed off to the showers. But he quickly quieted them down.

"All right, Stronghold, Peace, who do you want to face next?" Boomer said, but Warren merely took off his armor and walked away, indicating that he didn't want to play anymore. Boomer shrugged his shoulders. "All right, Stronghold, choose your partner."

"Sora." Will said, pointing at the spiky chestnut haired boy. Sora got up with a grin and Boomer merely rubbed his eyes.

"Stronghold, you know that's a sidekick, right?" Boomer said and Will just shrugged his shoulders. "All right, who'll be your villains since I know you're going to play heroes."

"Riku and Kairi." Will said and so, both Riku and Kairi made their way into the arena. Boomer then gave the same instructions to the teams, though he was utterly confused as to why it was hero-sidekick teams facing each other rather than hero-hero teams. Then there was the cry of "Battle!" and all hell broke loose.

Sora immediately summoned his Keyblade as Riku began launching a dark barrage of shots at him. Sora quickly erected a reflect shield as the dark shots peppered him. When Riku at last stopped, Sora rushed forward with a quick run and tripped Riku up, but Riku didn't waste a moment and he immediately got up. He began firing shots of darkness at Sora who was now running along the walls at an extremely fast speed. Meanwhile, Will was having trouble with Kairi who was using her light to fire shots of light at him which he could only narrowly avoid seeing as when one disappeared, a new one appeared. Sora ran past Will in a blur and Will had to narrowly avoid the shot of darkness coming his way.

"What is it, Sora? Too scared of me, _sidekick_?" Riku announced, clearly giving a mocking tone to the word "sidekick". Sora just let out a ringing laughter and jumped from the wall down at Riku. Riku barely avoided the swipe that Sora made at him. Riku fired off another shot but Sora rolled out of the way of it. He snapped a look to Will and seemed to communicate something with his eyes. Will then jumped into the air to perform a repeat move. But Riku saw what was coming. "Kairi, jump!" Kairi nodded and jumped into the air as did Riku.

However, Sora also jumped into the air at the same time and threw himself at Riku. Riku felt himself being tackled by the weight of Sora as they crashed down onto the ground. He also felt Sora's weight leave him shortly after they landed and he groaned from the slight pain that the tackle had caused him. When he looked up, he saw Sora running towards the citizen with a minute left on the clock. He fired off a warning shot of darkness and Sora jumped back. Then it was his turn to be tackled as Kairi forced him to the ground in order to hold him there. She gave him a coy smile and he smiled right back before he started tickling her sides. She started laughing uncontrollably and Sora managed to push her off. But now, Riku was coming at him. He stuck the tip if his Keyblade to the ground.

"Gaia!" Sora yelled and a circle of rocks surrounded Riku, preventing him from going any further. "Will, distract Kairi!" Will nodded at him and ran at Kairi who had just regained her composure. Sora then focused his mind both on maintaining his earth spell while also focusing on his next spell. "Sever!" The robe holding the citizen was cut and Sora knew he had to work fast. "Magnet!" The citizen was drawn to him quickly and landed in his now outstretched arms. The crowd was whipped up into frenzy at the fact that the heroes had once again won. Sora at last released his earth spell and nearly dropped to the ground from slight fatigue. He walked over to Riku however and shook his hand as Kairi came over to heal the both of them. It was at this moment that scores of people and students came onto the floor, Gwen at the head of them, to crowd around Will. But the Keyblade wielders had other things on their minds.

"Well, that was productive…" Riku said sarcastically and they all nodded knowingly. "We've been here two and a half days and we're no closer to finding Royal pain than we were when we got here."

"What we need is help." Sora said with a wave of his hand. "But there's no one we can trust becausealmost _anybody_ could be Royal Pain…even one of the teachers, and we don't have an in."

"Oh, I think we can get someone older to help us out with that." Kairi said with a smile. Sora and Riku looked confusedly at her for a moment before it at last hit them. They looked at each other.

"Oh no…you wouldn't Kairi…" Sora said, not wanting to hear the words she was speaking. The crowd was at last leaving the gym, leaving the three of them alone.

"Fine! Let's just return to the king and say 'I'm sorry, Your Majesty, we failed to find and defeat Royal Pain because certain Keyblade wielders are too stubborn to accept help when it's given to them.' Do you want to do that?" Kairi snapped at them and they both looked down at their shoes.

"We don't need his help…" Riku mumbled and Kairi just looked defiantly at the both of them.

"Well, I think we do, even if you don't." Kairi said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Fine…" Sora said in a very defeated voice. "Go ahead, bring him here…but we'll need a good cover story for him too."

"Oh, don't worry, I've already got an idea. I'll find you guys when we get back here." Kairi said while summoning her Keyblade. She held it out in front of her and opened the portal. She stepped into it and in a flash of light she was gone. Sora and Riku merely stood there for a moment.

"Your fiancée's devious…" Riku said and Sora nodded, accepting the truth, whether he liked it or not.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Whoo…finally finished that chapter. It took a long time to write and was very difficult to do, so I hope it turned out well. I hope you enjoyed all the little things I put in there like Sora being sidekick, Maleficent meeting with Royal Pain, and the hopefully good action in the Save the Citizen portion. Next chapter we'll finish up this portion and I'm sure you can all guess exactly what Kairi is up to. Anyway, let me know what you think in a review and a thanks to Captain A for reviewing and Kingdom hearts birth by sleep for favoriting this story, and always remember, Dare to Be Silly.

**P.S. Check out my new poll that I would really like input on.**


	10. Chapter 34: Teaming Up

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own by any ways or means Kingdom Hearts or Sky High.**

* * *

Chapter 34

Teaming Up

"_All for one and one for all!"_

-Sora, Donald, and Goofy at multiple times

There was a bright light in Disney Castle, specifically the audience hall and soon Kairi stepped out of the Keyhole-shaped portal. The king was sitting in his throne at this time and when he saw Kairi emerge he was, to say the least, more than surprised.

"Kairi! Where're Sora and Riku? Did you guys defeat Royal Pain?" Mickey asked rather quickly but Kairi took her time to answer both questions.

"Sora and Riku are still on Maxville so…no, we haven't defeated Royal Pain yet. We can't find them so I came here to ask Edge for some help. Do you know where he is?" Kairi asked and Mickey told her that he was currently in the library. Kairi therefore left the audience hall and strode along the colonnade until she reached the library. She entered the room and found Edge there, seemingly poring over some text. He looked up as she entered.

"Kairi? What are you doing back here alone?" Edge said as he saw her and she smiled at him.

"Hi, Edge, I'm glad to see you're doing good too." She leaned onto the desk and looked at him. "We need your help. We can't find Royal Pain though we know they're somewhere at this school we're attending. Only problem is, we only have an in with the students so we need someone to see if it may be one of the teachers."

"So you came to get my help?" Edge asked with a raised eyebrow. "And what do Sora and Riku think of this?"

"Oh, they have no choice but to accept your help. I'll make them behave, don't worry." Kairi said with a smile and Edge raised his second eyebrow in surprise.

"So you want me to be a teacher to see if one of the teachers might be Royal Pain?" Edge asked, making sure that he had his facts right.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it, and you're playing my step-father cause I am not having the last name Garibaldi…Kairi Garibaldi just sounds…wrong. How old are you?" Kairi said. She waited for a moment to see whether Edge would help them or not. After that minute was up, Edge got up from his seat.

"All right, I'm in…and I'm 32 so I'm guessing you'll want me to be older." Edge said. "But how will we find Sora and Riku." Kairi put a hand over her heart and Edge seemed to understand: Kairi was so connected with Sora that she could just use her heart to find them. Kairi summoned her Keyblade again and created a new portal back to Maxville. Edge, intrigued by these portals, followed in after her. However, when he emerged after only a short time he found he was now in the suburbia portion of Maxville, right outside the Stronghold residence. Kairi smiled at Edge and led him up the front walkway only to find Sora and Riku standing right outside.

"What are you guys standing outside for?" Kairi asked confusedly and they fixed her with a look.

"Oh…we were discussing Save the Citizen with Will's dad when, wouldn't you know it, Gwen turned up at the house for that little private tutor session…we got kind of shunted." Sora said with a shrug of his shoulders. Kairi nodded her head a bit. Sora finally noticed Edge and gave a nod and grunt in his direction.

"So, Edge is playing my step father and he's going to be looking for a job." She turned to Edge. "Oh, and 'mom' is angry with you right now and that's why you're kicked out of the hotel kind of thing..." Edge nodded his head a bit in amusement.

"Any more suggestions?" Riku asked a little forcefully. Edge cocked his head at him for a moment. "Kairi, exactly how long have you been planning this?"

"Since last night, I even have it down to detail that Edge's power is fire and therefore he'll be going after a Mad Science position." Kairi said with a smile and both of the younger men sighed. Sora then turned around and knocked on the door.

"Well, might as well have Mr. Stronghold call up after Mr. Medulla." Sora said and a few seconds later Steve Stronghold opened the door.

"Sora, Riku, Kairi, good to see you. Sorry about that whole thing with Gwen earlier." Sora and Riku just waved it off as he said this all. "So, what can I do for you guys?"

"Um, Kairi's dad just came to this town, he was a little later than the rest of us and he wanted a job at Sky High in the Mad Science department." Sora said. Steve nodded his head and adjusted the glasses he now had on as he pondered all of this.

"Okay, I'll call Mr. Medulla right away and have him meet you at the Paper Lantern, is that all right?" They quickly acknowledged the fact that it was. Thus it was that nearly a half hour later Edge was sitting in a booth across from Mr. Medulla on an interview while Sora, Riku, and Kairi were sitting at a table only a few feet away.

"You know…I really hate this whole deceit thing." Sora said with a slight amount of disdain. "Usually I'm so forthright about things…this just isn't my forte. I mean, the last time I did this was on my first trip to Atlantica."

"Oh, stop being a baby about it." Riku said as he sipped on his drink. Sora groaned a bit and sat back on his chair before he noticed somebody walking by.

"Is that…Warren!" Sora cried out and the black haired boy, who now had his hair tied in a ponytail turned to face him. He gave him a strange look before he noticed who they were.

"Oh…you guys, you hang with Stronghold." Warren said and Sora smiled at him.

"Well…hang is a rather strong word there I mean…we barely know the guy and…" But Warren had already moved on, leaving Sora standing there completely speechless. He slumped a little in his chair, especially so when he heard Mr. Medulla yell, "You've got the job!" But then Kairi tapped him on the shoulder. He looked in the direction she was pointing and saw Kairi pointing at Layla in a booth. He and Kairi then quickly got up and strode over to her table. "Hey there, Layla."

"Oh, hi you guys." Layla said with a smile though it seemed a little sad.

"What are you doing here?" Kairi asked Layla, though it should have been the other way around.

"Oh, I'm supposed to be meeting Will here." Layla said. Sora and Kairi looked at each other but decided not to say anything so as to not break the poor girl's heart. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Oh…you know, I love hanging out with Kairi and Riku hangs out with me way too much…not to mention Kairi's dad just got a job to work at Sky High with Mr. Medulla." Sora said cheerily, though inside he was truly peeved at Edge's arrival.

"Which reminds me…mom's pretty angry at dad so could he stay over at your house with me?" Kairi asked with a smile and Layla readily agreed. The two then left her to sit in the booth alone, saddened about what Will had just done to his best friend. Mr. Medulla had already left and so the four Keyblade wielders put their heads together to discuss tactics on finding Royal pain now that Edge was here. However, as the place started to empty, Kairi and Edge left while Sora and Riku remained in order to give Will more time to air the house out of Gwen. Thankfully, Layla was still here and so they got up to go and sit with her just as Warren walked up.

"Still working on that." Warren said as he came up and stopped when he saw Layla.

"Hi. We go to school together." Layla said, slightly embarrassedly. Sora shunted around and sat in the seat across from Layla.

"The one and the same!" He proudly announced.

"You're Stronghold's friend." Warren said with recognition and then he noticed the plate of food that was sitting there. "You want me to heat that up for you?"

"We're not allowed to use our powers outside of school." Layla said in a hushed whisper.

"I was just gonna stick it in the microwave." Warren said with a slight smile. Layla smiled back at him.

"Uh, I was supposed to be meeting Will here, but, um…would you like to sit down?" Layla asked with a smile and Warren obliged, seating himself next to Sora. Sora watched the two of them and their level of awkwardness and being in this sort of conversation so Sora decided to start a conversation.

"So, uh, Layla, how did you meet Will?" Sora asked, intrigued on this subject and wondering whether Will had ever flaked on Layla before.

"Well, you know how in first grade you grow lima beans in school? Will could not figure out why mine were growing so quickly. It was driving him crazy. So finally I took mercy on him and I told him about my powers and we've been best friends ever since." Layla had finished this statement with a smile and Sora was nodding his head.

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, and falling for him, was that before or after the lima beans?" Sora asked and Layla looked truly taken aback.

"I am not in love with Will Strong-is it that obvious?" Layla said with a very embarrassed look and both Sora and Warren nodded. "Great…"

"Why don't you tell him?" Warren asked with a slight amount of sympathy.

"Well, I was gonna ask him to the homecoming dance, but there's two problems: he likes somebody else and she's perfect." Layla said and Sora could truly feel her pain in his heart.

"Hmmm…" Warren said thoughtfully. "You know what I think, to let true love remain unspoken is the quickest route to a heavy heart." Both Sora and Layla looked at him impressed and Riku sniggered some feet away from them, almost amused.

"Wow…that is really deep." Layla said and Sora could tell that she, like he, did not take Warren Peace for a poet.

"Yeah, and your lucky numbers are four, 16, five and 49." Warren said while pulling out a fortune cookie slip. Sora stared at it for a moment.

"How many of those cookies do you have?" Sora asked. A few moments later and an argument with Layla as to which saying should be given to Will both Sora and Riku were heading back to the Stronghold's house carrying copious amounts of fortune cookies which they ate upon their arrival before crashing. The next day, they barely woke up in time to have the aging spell cast on them before they managed to meet Will and Layla at the bus stop, apologizing for being late. As they got there, it had seemed that Layla had already given Will the fortune cookie message.

"Oh God, oh. You must want to kill me." Will said, his look showing that of true mortification.

"Actually, just the opposite. I have something to tell you. But you first." Layla said with a smile and both Sora and Kairi looked at each other. Sora smiled before reaching into his pocket and beginning to drink from a water bottle he had smuggled from the Stronghold's house.

"OK, OK, it's about homecoming…I'm going with Gwen Grayson!" Sora immediately spat out the water and started choking, Riku thumping him on the back. They had not been granted this piece of information this morning or last night and they were not happy to have it sprung on them now. "Can you believe it? Me, a freshman, going with the most amazing girl at Sky High."

"That's awesome!" Layla said and they could all tell it was false. That was why they stuck with her through that whole entire day, as they knew that she was hurting deep inside her heart. At the end of the school day, Edge reported to them and said that he found nothing among the teachers but he would keep searching over the next day. All of them were fine with that because though they knew they had to find Royal Pain, Layla seemed to be lashing out and retaliating against Will by acting as though she was going out with Warren. It disturbed them so much so, that they followed her even after school…and much to their chagrin for they found that there was a party going on at Will's house.

"We didn't know about this, we swear!" Sora declared as soon as they saw it and Layla led the way up the steps, the other three following her inside. As they entered, many reproachful eyes were upon them, so much so until Penny stepped in their way.

"What are the sidekicks doing here?" Penny asked with a viciousness that would have scared anyone but them.

"Leaving." came the voice of Gwen as she stepped in front of Layla.

"Where's Will?" Layla asked with hurt creeping into every inch of her voice.

"Honestly. Avoiding you. Look, Will knows you have a crush on him." Gwen said with a venom.

"He does?" Sora started forward but Kairi grabbed him by the shoulders. He looked into her eyes and they spoke volumes.

"Everyone does. Will's too nice a guy to say he's not interested. Not that you can take a hint. I mean, hello? He's going to homecoming with me. He threw a party and didn't invite you. You're just embarrassing him. You're just embarrassing yourself." Gwen said with a finality that was disturbing.

"Okay, I understand. And , um, when you see Will again can you tell him that I never want to talk to him again." Layla said and she turned to go. But Will got there just as she attempted to. She left without a word, Will calling after her. Sora turned to go and pummel Gwen but once more Kairi held him.

"That little…Kairi, let me go!" Sora demanded but Kairi shook her head and pushed him backward. She started to stride up to Gwen as fast as she could.

"What's she doing?" Riku asked and Sora shook his head while shrugging his shoulders. Kairi strode up to Gwen with determination and slapped her right across the face.

"That was for insulting Layla!" Kairi shrieked and Gwen glared at her.

"Look here, Kairi, you and your Keyblade toting buddies stop meddling around. Will is mine." Gwen said with absolute hatred. Sora froze and looked at Riku. They had never mentioned that they wielded Keyblades. So far as anyone knew it was just an oversized house key…only one person could know that what Sora was using was a Keyblade…

"Why would I want Will? I have Sora!" Kairi proclaimed but Sora quickly grabbed her by the shirt and began pulling her away. Riku looked back at Gwen as they left and she flashed her eyes at them, confirming that she was indeed Royal Pain all along. They dragged a kicking and struggling Kairi until they had at last cleared the house where they saw that Layla had already left. "What was that for?!"

"Gwen is Royal Pain." Sora said simply and Kairi registered a look of true shock on her face. "And she knows that we know…she'll not let us out of her sight."

"Then what do we do? She must be planning something or else she would have shown herself by now…so what could it be?" Kairi said, pacing around back and forth in front of her two companions. Riku was the first to notice it.

"Homecoming…that's why she's going with Will. Remember Sora? Will's dad is the one who defeated Royal Pain the first time…and she probably wants revenge." Riku said with a stern look to both his friends. "Why couldn't we see it before?! And now we have to wait until she's ready to enact whatever plan she has in store for tomorrow night!"

"Then there's only one thing for it." Sora said with a near scary look cast over his features. "We need to split up. Riku, you and Edge will go to the Homecoming dance early with Layla and the rest of them so that you can stop whatever she's planning. In the meantime, Kairi and I will head to Will's house before the dance and try to convince Will to break up with Gwen."

"Whoa-ho! You are not sticking me with Edge!" Riku complained but both Kairi and Sora flashed him an evil glare and he was forced to accept it. The trio decided that they would most likely not be able to stay with Will after that little incidence and so when both Sora and Riku showed up on Layla's doorstep she was surprised but allowed them to stay the night.

The next day there was no school but none of them were allowed the chance to find where Gwen lived or even to see Will since whenever they got anywhere near his house, a band of heartless would start to show up. It was around five o'clock that Riku and Edge left with Layla to go to the Homecoming dance dressed in nothing but their normal clothing. Sora and Kairi resolved to try Will's house again one more time. This time they were lucky and no Heartless appeared so Sora could only figure that Royal Pain was close to completing their plan. At roughly five thirty Sora was knocking on the Stronghold's front door. It was Steve who opened the door.

"Sora, Kairi, good to see you, but what are you doing here? Aren't you going to the dance?" Steve said with a smile and both of them smiled right back at him.

"Umm…we just wanted to see if Will is ready to go." Sora lied, trying not to let on any piece of their mission slip away. Steve's face turned into a frown.

"Oh…Will's not going, he broke up with Gwen yesterday and she wasn't too happy about it. I'll let Josie know you're here so she can tell him." Steve then yelled for Josie and told her that some of Will's friends had arrived. He then ushered both Sora and Kairi into the living room where they waited. After a few minutes both Steve and Josie, dressed as the Commander and Jetstream appeared in the room.

"We're not sure if he'll come right away but just wait for a moment and I'm sure he'll come up. But we have to get going or we'll be late for the dance." Josie said with a smile to the two supposed teenagers.

"You guys are going?" Kairi asked, surprised that Will's parents would be going to _his_ high school dance.

"Oh, Gwen asked us to, and a Stronghold always keeps their promise." With that, and another smile, he and Josie left the house. Both Sora and Kairi waited until the door had slammed shut and both of them were long gone before Sora summoned his Keyblade.

"Will's not coming up, so we're getting him out. He's a part of this too and I'm not letting him sit on the sidelines while his friends get hurt." Sora said. Kairi nodded fiercely as the two entered into a room with a bookcase on the wall. Kairi wondered what they were doing there for a moment until Sora pointed his Keyblade at the bookcase. A beam of light shot out of it and opened to reveal two poles leading downward. "You didn't think Riku hadn't checked this house out top to bottom did you?" Kairi smiled and the two got onto the poles and dropped to the bottom. Will whipped around the moment he saw them.

"Sora?! Kairi?! How did you get down here?!" Will said in shock and slight anger.

"That's not important!" Sora snapped to his younger friend. "Look-what are you looking at?!" Sora had noticed a book in front of Will and found it surprising that he was taking this time to read. Will shifted around a little bit in the chair he was sitting in as Sora and Kairi ambled over.

"Oh, it's my dad's old yearbook. Mom caught him sneaking out with it and gave it to me." Will said with a faint smile as he flipped through the pages but Sora noticed something on one of the pages if only for a fraction of a second.

"Whoa, wait! Who's that?" Sora said, stopping and pointing at a picture of a girl named Sue Tenny. All three of them leaned in towards the picture and noticed the same exact thing: Gwen Grayson. Will flicked through the pages until he got to another page with her on it…and she was holding some kind of a ray gun. Sora looked at it in utter bafflement but Will seemed to notice something because he ran out of his chair and to an area where many items were enshrined.

"Oh no, oh no, no, no, no, no, no!" Will said and he smacked himself on the head. "The Pacifier's gone! Gwen…she…of course! When I brought her down here last night she must have taken it and…we've gotta get to Sky High!"

"That's great!" Sora said in happiness that Will finally realized what he had to do. "How do we get there?!" Will reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Out of that wallet he pulled out a card. On it said "Ron Wilson, Bus Driver" and a phone number.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The music was thrumming loudly at the Homecoming Dance at Sky High and both Riku and Edge were standing around nervously. They had to hope that they could get to Royal Pain before she could do any real damage or it was all for naught. Of course, the other aspect was that they pretty much loathed each other and it didn't help things in the slightest.

"You're sure that this Gwen girl is Royal Pain?" Edge asked disdainfully and Riku gave him a quick smile.

"She confirmed it herself, now shut up, Edge." Riku said. At that moment, bright spotlights shone to the entrance of the gymnasium on the Commander and Jetstream.

"Welcome Commander and Jetstream!" Principal Powers cried out from a podium at the top of the gym. "Good evening everyone. Now then, please help me to welcome the head of the homecoming committee, the girl who made all this possible, Gwen Grayson." Riku glinted his eyes at Edge to tell him that it was show time as Gwen stepped up in her purple dress to the podium carrying a small trophy.

"Thank you, Principal Powers. And a very special thank you goes to our guests of honor and recipients of our first ever hero of the year award: the Commander and Jetstream." The whole entire crowd erupted in cheers and absolute happiness at the announcement of these two famous heroes. "And to mark this occasion we've planned a special tribute to the most powerful super-being ever to walk the halls of Sky High: me!" Instantly, Gwen swished a cape around and was suddenly adorned in high tech armor. In the blink of an eye, both Riku and Edge had summoned their Keyblades and started making their way to the front. When they finally got up there, Royal Pain was holding the pacifier in hand and was firing out beams at everyone in the room. And to Riku's horror…it was turning them all into babies.

Royal Pain turned the Pacifier on them as many of the students tried to usher themselves out, only to find the doors to the gym closed by Royal Pain's cronies: Penny, Speed, and Lash. Royal Pain let off the blast and Riku instantly erected a reflect shield. The beam phased right through them and Royal Pain, grunted, handing the Pacifier to Stitches who was also at the top of the stage.

"Don't waste fire on the Keyblade wielders, I'll take care of them myself." Royal Pain said. Riku backed up a little and was pleased to see Warren, Layla, Zach, Ethan and Magenta escaping from the room through an air vent. Royal Pain's mask closed around their head and she flew at them. Riku fired a shot of dark aura at her but she pressed a button and a momentary shield appeared around her. Riku, thankfully, managed to leap over her and avoid her charge. Edge meanwhile, was taking his own offensive tactic. When Royal Pain had stopped and was beginning to charge at Riku, Edge leapt along the walls and after three such leaps he threw both his Keyblades like a shuriken at Royal Pain. They connected and sent her sprawling to the floor. But she was soon up as Edge landed. Edge smirked.

"Tremor!" Edge yelled, twisting his Keyblades around. A strange earthen symbol appeared between the two Keyblades and soon a large spire of earth struck up from under Royal Pain and knocked her towards the ceiling. Riku then took this moment to jump in the air and toss his Keyblade with high velocity at Royal Pain. But this time the duo wasn't so lucky as Royal Pain knocked the blade away where it spun and the blunt side hit Riku in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. Royal Pain then kicked off from the ceiling and jettisoned straight into Riku, knocking him out. Edge did a few flips in Royal Pain's direction but she used her hover shoes to dodge out of his way and subsequently knock him out.

Royal Pain wiped her hands as she landed. It was too easy for her now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At this moment, Sora, Kairi, and Will had arrived on Ron Wilson's bus right outside Sky High. After instructing Ron to call for help if they weren't back in thirty minutes they headed full force into the school. Many Heartless were in their way but Sora and Kairi easily cut through those, no longer caring that they weren't adhering to the rules they had placed on themselves in that world. They hoped that everybody in the school was okay and as they reached one of the hallways they saw a faint green glow coming from an air duct. Sora pointed his Keyblade at the duct and it popped off with a clatter to the floor. Zach soon emerged from it, followed by Warren, Magenta, Layla and Ethan.

"Guys, you're never gonna believe this. Gwen…" Will began but Layla managed to cut across him.

"Is Royal Pain's daughter." Layla said with a grim tone.

"Yeah, and she…"

"Stole the pacifier." Warren said in his deep voice before Zach came in.

"Oh, and she turned everyone into babies including your parents while Riku and that new teacher Edge stayed behind to fight her." Zach said and Sora, Kairi, and Will stared at him dumbfounded.

"Okay…I didn't know about that." Will said and Sora shook his head.

"Oh, and Maleficent is behind it all!" Sora announced and everyone was silent. The next words of the conversation issued forth from Layla.

"I think this is more than even the great Will Stronghold can handle." Layla said with a slight sneer which Sora thought was uncalled for.

"She's right, it's gonna take all of us." Will said with slight pride and yet a sense of modesty.

"All of who?" Magenta complained. "You and Warren? The rest of us are only sidekicks." Sora gave Magenta a glare but Will was already speaking again.

"Just because you have powers doesn't make you a hero. Sometimes it just makes you a jerk…makes me a jerk…and what I'm saying is…I've been a jerk." Will said in a very sad voice. Then he turned towards Layla. "Layla, in case my homecoming date ends up killing me tonight, I just want you to know…" He grabbed her in close and kissed her on the lips. Sora and Kairi shared a smile with each other before a much harsher voice broke up the moment.

"How sweet…I hate sweet!" Penny's voice came from behind them and they all turned to face her.

"Cheerleading brat…" Kairi spat out at the sight of Penny as both Lash and Speed laughed evilly.

"But, uh…Kairi, you were once a cheerleader too." Sora said with raised eyebrows.

"Shut up Sora." Kairi said before Will picked up the important thread of the conversation.

"You guys are a part of this too…why am I not surprised?" Will said with a chuckle laced into his words.

"Take care of Gwen." Warren ordered, taking off his tuxedo jacket and Will nodded. He then slammed through a nearby wall in search of Gwen. Kairi turned to Sora and cocked her head in Will's direction.

"You sure about this, Kairi?" Sora asked and she glared at him. He nodded and set off immediately after Will. Kairi held her Keyblade to bear with a sneer on her face. Speed then moved forward and whipped past them while Lash went to deal with Ethan and Penny chased after Layla.

"Warren, go take care of Speed…I have other things to deal with." Kairi said, and this was true, for just a short ways down the hall the darkness was coalescing into a single being. The creature had the traditional yellow eyes of a Heartless but was wearing a shiny yellow armor and holding a sword that seemed to thrum with electricity: the Techno Soldier. Kairi faced the advanced Heartless in a battle stance and then ran at it. She jumped over its head while The Heartless swung its giant blade at her. She landed as the Heartless came around in a circle. She blocked the blow with her Keyblade and grimaced. The Heartless moved slowly but it was powerful…she would use that to her advantage.

She sidestepped as the Heartless swiped at her and narrowly avoided the blow before she jabbed her Keyblade inward at the Heartless. However, it hit the armor plate and merely glanced off of it. She gasped in shock as the Heartless took its free hand and smacked her into the opposite row of lockers. She groaned and rubbed her head as the heartless ran at her. She quickly ducked as its sword was impaled into the wall. She began to run around, looking for a weak point in the Heartless armor while it was stuck but she couldn't find one, and soon it was free, swinging the sword at her with a heightened fury. That's when she noticed something. Every time the Heartless swung its sword it would thrum with more electricity that stemmed from its armor. Kairi smiled…all she had to do was overload the Heartless.

"Lightning!!" Kairi cried and the Heartless was soon loading up on electricity. As Kairi suspected the Heartless was soon overloaded on electricity and disappeared in a mighty puff of black smoke, a faint heart rising into the air. Kairi wiped her brow of sweat, slightly tired from the battle…and she could only hope that the others were faring as well.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Sora and Will had at last arrived outside of the school where Gwen seemed to be holding Will's father and talking to him.

"I take you back, my dear commander, to your senior year at Sky High, a time before anyone knew what a technopath was. So a brilliant but misunderstood girl named Sue Tenny was written off as a science geek and placed in sidekick class. She hatched a plan, so daring, so visionary, to start her very own supervillain academy and raise a generation of heroes from scratch as villains. But first she had to destroy the very institution which dared to spurn her genius! And now, so many years later, that plan is complete. My only regret: that this may be the finest supervillain speech ever given, and you don't even know what I'm saying."

"But we do." Sora's voice rang out loud and clear and Gwen whipped around to face the both of them. "And I gotta tell ya, I've heard speeches a lot better than that one from villains much higher up on the food chain than you."

"Yeah, so look, I'm sorry my parents destroyed your mom. Now put my dad down." Will demanded and Gwen chuckled.

"No one could defeat Royal Pain. When the Pacifier exploded I wasn't destroyed. I was merely turned into a baby. You see…Royal Pain wasn't my mother! Royal Pain is me!" Gwen announced and Will blanched at the thought of making out with an old lady as Sora rolled his eyes. Gwen then closed her helmet around her head and flew at the both of them after handing Will's dad to Stitches. Sora moved out of the way but Royal Pain managed to tackle Will. Sora then set off as fast as he could after them. After a few minutes of very quick running he managed to make it to the gym where Riku and Edge were both lying on the ground…but Edge was stirring. Sora ran up to Riku and checked his vitals.

"He's fine…just knocked out." Edge said with a groan. Then he latched onto Sora's arm to steady himself. "Sora, take care of Royal Pain, I'll take care of Riku." Sora nodded and ran to where Royal Pain and Will were now dueling.

"Hey Pain! Taste this!" Sora ran at Royal Pain, his Keyblade out in front of him and bolts of lightning pouring through it. Royal Pain didn't see it coming and was hit with it full force. Will then punched her as hard as he could and she flew upward and into the disco ball. She quickly broke the disco ball and dropped down to the floor where Sora swept her feet out with a single roundhouse kick. She grunted and fell. Sora then held his Keyblade at her throat, with a little smirk on his face and Will prepared to punch her in the face.

"Will!" Layla's voice called as she, Kairi, and Warren ran in. Both Sora and Will looked at the approaching trio but then Royal Pain activated something on her arm and punched Will out of the window where he began a long plummet down. Sora grunted as Layla screamed and ran to the window, jumping out of it. Royal Pain at last got up.

"And there goes your last chance of stopping me." she aid in her deep, digitally altered voice. Kairi held her Keyblade out.

"Well you've still got us to deal with!" Kairi yelled and she ran at Pain, trading a few blows with her before they separated. But then she looked up and saw two figures floating in the sky beyond the window. Pain turned around and saw them.

"Surprised, creepy girl with man voice!" Sora declared. "I got permanent pixie dust, so bring it!" With that, both Sora and the flying Will who apparent had inherited his mother's powers began flying at Pain. She looked at them with shock as Sora focused his mind on a freezing spell which encased Royal Pain in a sheer block of ice. he then sent flames out of his Keyblade to melt her and she stumbled around, a bit disoriented. Will then picked her up to the ceiling and let her drop before coming and punching her helmet off. "Oh yeah!"

Will ran up to Layla and the two hugged while Sora nodded at Kairi. At last, they had defeated Royal Pain. But something out of the corner of his eye caught his interest: Gwen was doing something on her arm pad. He turned around but was too late as a screeching noise was heard and the school began to fall out of the sky.

"The school is falling!" Kairi cried out. "Ethan, Zach and Magenta are on it but we need to slow it down!" Sora nodded and he and Will ran to the now open window and jumped out of it. Will planted himself at the very bottom and tried to hold the school up as much as he could. Sora flew many feet below him and using his Keyblade created a shield of light to try and hold the school up. Even with their combined strength it was difficult to even slow down the school but they tried…and just when it seemed the school wasn't going to make it…suddenly it flew back up into the sky. Will and Sora gave each other high fives…after all, that wasn't the worst thing that could have happened.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

About two hours later everyone was gathered in the gymnasium, enjoying their Homecoming dance at last. All the babies had been de-pacified and the award was given to all the sidekicks that had fought that night. Edge had gone back to Disney Castle with Jiminy Cricket in order to give his report and Riku was munching at the snack table, having recovered from his serious blow to the stomach. Sora and Kairi however were sharing a dance. They had already shown everyone there that they were really older and were in fact Keyblade Masters who jettisoned around the worlds and had apologized for deceiving them. The whole group was fine with it and had even allowed them to stay for the dance that night before they would leave in the morning. So it was that they were dancing, Will and Layla making out outside, Warren and some other girl were dancing and Zach and Magenta were dancing, bringing a smile to Sora's face. Sora however, was finding the courage to tell Kairi something.

"Kairi…" Sora said and he was glad that Kairi merely looked at him rather than saying anything. "I…after all this…I mean…" He took a deep breath in and exhaled out quickly. "Look, watching Will and his parents made me realize that they put their lives on the line every day to keep this world safe and to keep it safe for their son. I guess it made me realize that…"

"Sora…what are you trying to say?" Kairi asked with bewilderment.

"What I'm trying to say is…I shouldn't be scared that I won't be around if we decide to have children…so that if that's what you want, if that's what will make you happy, then I'll do it. We can start a family together, Kairi." Kairi hugged Sora tightly and held him close as Sora did the same. And as he held her there in his arms he knew that nothing else mattered to him in all the worlds but Kairi's happiness.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Wow, that was the first chapter of Part II without a semi-cliffhanger. So, there's Sora and Kairi's decision on parenthood, that when all this is over they will have children. In the meantime, we now only have one member left of the Hellfire Club: the Horned King!!! Dun-dun-dun…But we'll hold off for now since we have some surprises in store for our characters before Prydain. On a side note, I'd just like to say that my plan is to finish this story by the end of March since we only have 11 chapters to go anyway and I write pretty fast so yeah…Anyway, please drop me a review for what you thought of this chapter (in all honesty, did I assemble it well?) and the battles and Dare to Be Silly.


	11. Chapter 35: On the Trail Again

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts but I do own the slight re-emergence of Agradar and my plot.**

* * *

Chapter 35

On the Trail Again

"_We've gotta find that key!"_

-Donald Duck

"Wak! Stop playing around, Goofy!" Donald yelled as their ship pulled out of the Gummi Hanger at Disney Castle which was a huge flurry of activity as Chip and Dale worked on finishing their new Highwind Gummi Ship to ferry the shipmates of the _R.L.S. Legacy_ home to Montressor. Donald and Goofy themselves were setting off to find Gentai where they would be less traceable themselves. Unfortunately, in the moment they got on the ship, Goofy had already tripped five times and nearly spilled a kind of drink he had gotten all over the dashboard and so Donald was not too happy.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi had left a day ago to go to Maxville and Mickey was holed up in the library poring over ancient texts while Edge had taken to roaming the castle and giving help where it was needed. Not that it was needed here. The king had given this task for only the two of them to complete and complete it they would. First they would start with Agradar where the king thought Gentai would most likely go due to it being his homeworld and all. But Goofy was already making this journey very difficult…of course, Pluto had joined them in an attempt to sniff Gentai out, at the behest of his master of course. It kind of reminded Donald of eight years ago when he and Goofy had set out to find the wielder of the Keyblade who turned out to be Sora. He had not known at the time that the spiky headed teen at the time would become one of his best friends in all the worlds.

Donald didn't dare put the ship into warp drive for the fear that Gentai might possibly have some uncanny power that would allow him to sense their ship coming at such a fast pace. That was why he reverted to the original controls. To Donald, it felt good to be sitting in the captain's chair again. When he had given the reigns to Sora (even after the disastrous landing in Deep Jungle) he had not had the captain's chair rightfully to himself for many years. Of course, he was grateful that Sora had flown them through the midst of all those Heartless ship battles and had even managed to maneuver them safely through an all-out assault outside the Land of Dragons a few weeks prior and the Assault of the Dreadnought (as he called it) outside Twilight Town seven years ago.

But now it was Donald's turn. He threatened Goofy with a silencing and a binding spell as they left and so much of the ships voyage passed in silence. When at last they were outside of Agradar, roughly three hours after setting sail, they felt free in talking in order to relieve some tension of possibly finding Gentai there.

"Gawrsh, you think he'll try to hurt us if he's there?" Goofy asked with some small degree of trepidation. Donald gave a stern glance to his dog-like friend.

"If he tries to hurt us then we'll hurt him straight back!!" Donald declared triumphantly and before Goofy could even hope to protest Donald flicked the switch and they were beamed back down onto Agradar. The first thing they saw was a small and yet slightly thick mist swirling around the world. Many of the bodies were already decomposing after a weeks time and the houses looked, if possible, worse for the wear than it could have been a little over a week ago. Both Donald and Goofy were appalled by the appearance but had no choice except for going forward. Donald took the lead, walking forward cautiously, his fear displaying itself by the quivering staff held in front of him.

They searched around the whole of Agradar but couldn't find Gentai anywhere, nor any trace that he had ever been here since that fateful encounter with Maleficent. But Goofy noticed something just as they were about to turn back towards the beaming spot for their Gummi Ship.

"Hey, look at that Donald!" Goofy yelled and he ran over someplace else, Donald following quickly in his wake. What goofy had led them to was the sole patch of yellow flowers. The area looked absolutely stunning compared to the rest of the world and Donald could even swear that sunlight was pouring on it, making it even more beautiful, and that the mist was not touching this area. The flowers themselves were arranged in a five foot wide circle.

Donald and Goofy walked over to see what was in the middle since it looked like a large stone was sitting in the center of the flowers. And that was not far off from the truth. It was a beautifully crafted marble headstone of some sorts and almost spoke as to the testament of how far Gentai's magic had come in just a year. There was also a beautiful engraving on the front of the tombstone that read: TO THE PARENTS OF GENTAI TANAKA WHO PERISHED WITH THEIR WORLD. Below that was another line etched in: TO HIKARU, THE GREATEST MENTOR AND KEYBLADE WIELDERS I HAVE EVER KNOWN. And at last they moved down to the final line of the text and saw the last, shattering truth that did not hit the two Disney Castle court members until now: TO DEMORA SUWARA, THE LOVLIEST GIRL IN THE WORLDS…WHO MET HER END TOO SOON.

That was it. That last line conveyed so much. Gentai had loved Demora and each of the losses inscribed there was enough to set him over the edge as it had done. But Demora was gone and there was no denying it anymore. Goofy looked down at his feet.

"Gawrsh…Gentai must really be hurtin inside." Goofy said sadly, able to feel the young boy's pain on his own. After all he had gone through…but Goofy was convinced that Gentai was not that evil despite the things that he had done. Then Goofy, being the surprisingly keen being as he was, noticed something about the flowers. They weren't native to this world but to a world that he and Donald had seen recently. "Uh, Donald…these flowers are from Fabled Countryside."

"Wak! You're right Goofy! If Gentai's not here then that's where he must be!" Donald said and without another word the two got on to their Gummi Ship and headed for Fabled Countryside. So their journey throughout the worlds had begun. Ironically, this is the first time they had ever gone world hopping without Sora or the king and they kind of missed the king's well-mannered humor and Sora's over-bubbly personality. After all, even when Sora was down he was up…and nobody, even Kairi, would have him any other way.

Donald and Goofy's search for Gentai took many days and led them to many different worlds in their search for him. In fact, it almost seemed as if Gentai was stringing them along with different clues here and there to possibly lead them to where he was going, but neither of the members of the Disney Castle Court seemed to suspect this. In their mind, they would find where Gentai was holing up and making his base before they would take their new force of Keyblade wielders to take him down. And that brought Donald, often to the subject of Edge.

To him, Edge was a valuable asset, even if Sora and Riku did not trust him. Both Donald and Goofy had spent the night before their departure talking with Edge. As it turned out, he was pretty miffed that both Sora and Riku had called him a coward. He had apparently never jumped into the game for a few reasons. Donald, unlike Goofy, recalled the conversation with clarity.

"There always come problems with bringing an order like the Order of the Crown out into the open. It's target for attacks by not only villains but by other people as well and that just makes everybody lose. The last order wasn't strong enough and look what happened to them. They existed out in the open and the Round of the Crown eventually fell apart." Edge sat there and sighed, rubbing his temples with his fingers. "Donald, Goofy, I'm sure you'd understand. How was Sora when he first began to wield the Keyblade?"

"Impulsive, he never listened, and really got on my nerves!" Donald jabbered out, remembering how much he really didn't like Sora when he first met him.

"Aww…but Sora got better after that, didn't he Donald?" Goofy asked, sticking up for his currently absent friend.

"Yeah…but he's still naïve!" Donald protested and Edge had just chuckled a little.

"Well, multiply that by about twenty. Half my order is young and impetuous…just like Sora. They're easily open to influence and if they encountered Maleficent they could easily be snared by her traps as Riku once was. It is lamentable that I did not jump into the battle…but I tried my best, I promise you. I came out a few months ago to fight and have found out as much about Maleficent as I can." Edge sighed again, more weary with each passing breath. "If I had brought us into the open our inexperience would have doomed us all…I know Sora and Riku don't like it but I was only doing what I thought was right. I had no idea what was truly going on until we left…granted I did try to attack Maleficent a few times but her castle is well guarded."

"Awww…we don't blame you none!" Goofy said and Edge had smiled at him. That made the quick and sheer determination that clearly Edge was not a bad man with bad aims but just a good guy with clearly dreadful timing in the part that he could have come in before and helped stop the Huntsman. This warranted enough trust between them and the king trusted him so that was good enough for Donald. Ironically, he hoped Sora wouldn't be so stubborn for much longer like he himself usually was.

Regardless of all these thoughts, the current mission of finding the Keyblade wielder gone rogue took precedence over anything else that could possibly exist in the books. After all, Donald and Goofy trusted their good buddy Sora to take care of Royal Pain no problem since that was what the Keyblade Master was good at. Even alone Donald could remember all the bad guys Sora had taken down by himself: Darkside, the Card Soldiers for a time, Sabor, Riku, supposedly four of the Organization XIII members in Castle Oblivion, Luxord, Xemnas, 1000 Heartless and Jafar. All in all, Sora was pretty strong and with his two friends their combined strength was even stronger.

Their trip was rather uneventful however, much to Donald's displeasure. They found another little tidbit of a clue at Fabled Countryside…a thalassa seashell was resting near the Queen's castle as they strolled around the world, trying to find all the places that their Keyblade wielding friends had been to. After all, they didn't have some type of super-scent that Riku had going for him. Regardless, the shell told them that Destiny Islands was their next stop. They didn't understand why Gentai was bouncing around from world to world, but they could only assume he was planning something.

At Destiny Islands it took them nearly till sundown and a long run from an immensely irate Selphie to find the next clue as to Gentai's whereabouts. Of course, escaping Selphie was not easy since she knew they were friends of Sora and Kairi and she desperately wanted to know where the couple was. This was only complicated by the fact that Goofy thought it would help to _try_ and talk to her. Based on Sora's description of her, Donald decided that this was a very bad idea and dragged Goofy along. The clue they had found was one of the crystals from the Four Crystal Trophy of the Struggle Tournament.

Twilight Town was perhaps their longest stop. They returned to the crystal to the Struggle Promoter and then proceeded to start looking for their clue. This was hindered by two things. For one, Seifer and his gang were still giving them trouble on the Sandlot and tried to bully the two animals before Donald literally set his pants on fire. He went racing around the Sandlot screaming until Vivi was overcome with confidence and cast a water spell on his behind. And also, they ran into Hayner and Olette who had some very happy new to share with them.

"I'm pregnant!" Olette cried happily when she saw them and even Hayner was happy as he held his wife in his arms. This, of course, got Donald and Goofy very excited and the two of them would not calm down enough until Pence arrived on one of his many lunch breaks from the Sea Salt Ice Cream Corps and gave them each a Sea-Salt Ice cream. When at last that lunch break was over, the trio left, Olette and Hayner happily discussing plans for the baby's room. This finally gave Donald and Goofy time to search the world. They searched the world all over the place: Sunset Terrace, the clock tower, the plaza, and even the Old Mansion but were unable to find anything. Not even a single clue was there that could hint at Gentai being there at all. Therefore, that night the two companions returned to the Gummi Ship rather dejected.

"Phew…we've had a long day!" Goofy said, collapsing in one of the passenger chairs on the Gummi Ship.

"But we didn't do anything Goofy!" Donald yelled until he noticed a faint, blinking green light on the ships council. He looked over at it and sat in the captain's chair. He pressed the button next to it and the very faint and scratchy image of Leon appeared on the screen.

"Request…immediately. Saw…Ship in area. Prob…at castle…please ans-" but the message broke off after that. Donald furrowed his brow in confusion and both he and Goofy watched the transmission over and over again but all they could figure out was that Leon was having some kind of problem in Radiant Garden. Well, they never gave up the opportunity to help another and so, without any rest Donald began to pilot the ship towards Radiant Garden. The flight took a few hours and it was nighttime when they arrived there so they decided to get some sleep before beaming down the next morning, the sixth day since Sora had left Disney Castle.

The second they landed in Merlin's house they could tell that something was wrong. Cid was scrutinizing the screen intently while furiously typing into the computer stationed in Merlin's home. Merlin was fidgeting his wand back and forth while most of the Restoration Committee was not even present. Leon was the first to notice them there.

"You got my message!" Leon said, striding over to them. "You see, our communications system was shut down all of a sudden about a day ago for some reason and we've been unable to reboot it. We than found something and needed to contact the king. Can we use your Gummi channel?"

"Hey, we can help you out!" Donald declared, slightly indignant at the thought of not being considered worthy of helping out. Leon gave a dry chuckle and shook his head.

"It's not that…we need more than you guys…we've got a big problem." Leon said with a scowl. "And I mean, it's huge."

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Yes, I know, it's short, so sue me (actually don't but you can pretend you did). I thought the concept of it being just Donald and Goofy was promising so I test drove it. This might have been a bit lacking in the plot furthering department but it made some things VERY clear and I'll leave it up to you to guess what those are. There is only one question that now remains: what is the problem in Radiant Garden? Well, you'll have to wait for tomorrow or Friday before the big secret is revealed (and believe me it is BIG), since I want this moment to be good. And a quick note: we are officially halfway through the chapters of Part II!!!

Captain A: I believe this answers your question about why Edge didn't challenge Maleficent openly.

Drop a review for me, please, and Dare to Be Silly.


	12. Chapter 36:Welcome to Your HollowBastion

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts...or anything else but plot and a character in this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 36

Welcome to Your Hollow Bastion

"_To the ruins of Hollow Bastion."_

-Captain Hook

"Riku, you completely got your butt kicked!" Sora's voice resonated in the halls of Disney Castle. "And you were with Edge so don't give me any of that 'I was overpowered and unprepared' crap!"

"Oh, come on Sora, like you didn't have your moments where you failed miserably in battle!" Riku protested against his best friend before the light portal at last opened in the audience hall and the three Keyblade wielders at last emerged into the currently empty halls of Disney Castle.

"Hey, I've fought over a thousand Heartless in battle with only slight fatigue and that was seven years ago." Sora said with a smirk. "Not to mention that _you've_ been training for a whole year on your little adventure while I've been sitting at home getting fat." Kairi shook her heads as the two boys continued to bicker muttering something that sounded faintly like "Boys…" But before long she saw that their argument would soon become a spar fest and she sought to avoid that unnecessary action.

"Anyway…Sora, what was all that permanent pixie dust thing about?" Kairi asked, actually interested in what Sora had meant when he said that to Royal Pain.

"What?" Sora asked abruptly and he turned to her. "Oh yeah…well, you see, I noticed that Peter was able to fly without sprinkling pixie dust on him every time and he replied that there was such a thing as permanent pixie dust so he gave me, Donald and Goofy a little sprinkling so that if we think happy thoughts, we can fly anytime!"

"Mm-hmmm, mm-hmmm, and what was your happy thought?" Kairi asked teasingly and Sora gave her a most obvious look and his cheeks lightened with a pink tinge.

"You." Riku blanched next to him and Sora would have started wailing on his best friend with his Keyblade if Mickey had not, at that moment, emerged into the audience hall from the colonnade. The moment he saw them he gave a great yelp of joy and ran forward to meet them.

"Edge told me you guys defeated Royal Pain and that you were staying another night there!" Mickey said jubilantly and Sora grinned at him.

"Yep, we locked Royal Pain up so well, not even Maleficent's enchantments could break her out…of course, she failed and we all know that Maleficent does not tolerate failure among her lackeys." Sora said, wagging his finger back and forth. This prompted a giggle from Kairi and a head shake from Riku. Either way, they were feeling pretty good right now from having defeated Royal Pain the night prior. Of course, they knew that it meant they would probably head to Prydain next but they didn't really care.

"So…" Riku decided to take the step forward rather than having the king command it. "I'm guessing that you want us to go to Prydain, right?" Mickey seemed about to answer Riku's query when the doors behind him banged open and Edge strode into the hall. Every member standing in the hall snapped their heads to look at him. He seemed very off-balanced and as he strode forward they noticed that he looked very worried. And it made all of them worried. Jiminy hopped off of Edge's shoulder and slipped back into Sora's hood with a fleeting smile. Edge was out of breath as he stopped but he looked at the king with determination.

"We have a problem, Your Majesty." Edge said with unease and Mickey looked at him confusedly. "You have a transmission awaiting you in the Gummi Hangar." Edge motioned to the still open doors. Mickey looked at Sora, Riku, and Kairi for a moment before all four of them set off down the hallway, Edge following slowly after them. Each one of them knew there was no time to be wasted and so hopped off straight from the railing of the colonnade to the courtyard below before pelting into the Gummi Garage. Chip and Dale were dancing up and down near the terminal where the transmission was incoming. As Mickey approached they immediately went back to work on their Gummi Ship which was just now having the paint job done to it and it would be done. Mickey hit the button on the console and Leon's face appeared on the screen.

"Leon!" Mickey announced with surprise. "This channel is from Donald and Goofy's Gummi Ship. Why are you using it?"

"We're sorry Your Majesty, but there was no other way Leon could contact you." Goofy said sadly off-screen, indicating that though they could not see Donald and Goofy the two were, nevertheless an inevitable presence.

"He's right, Your Majesty. Our communications system was shut down almost a day ago, we were barely able to even get a signal out to the Gummi Ship to let them know we had a problem on our hands." Leon said with very anxious features playing his face. "Thankfully, Donald and Goofy found it and immediately came over here and allowed us the use of the Gummi Ship to contact you."

"What's the problem, Leon?" Sora asked, slightly butting into the picture. Leon looked at him with very stern features and the next words he spoke felt like a hammer-blow to the gut for everyone.

"We found a bomb in the castle…the Grand Hall." Leon said, all amount of amusement drained from his voice.

"The Grand Hall…isn't that where we…?" Riku began, trying to remember where the Grand Hall of the castle at Radiant garden was.

"That's where we fought when you were possessed by Xehanort's Heartless, yes." Sora said, nodding at Riku before turning back to Leon. "But that's in the center of the castle…that thing blows there, the whole castle could topple with it."

"That was our concern too. But even Tron can't identify it or disarm it. It's the strangest type of bomb we've ever seen. From the pictures that Merlin saw on Cid's computer he figures that it's a magical type of bomb…but even he won't go near it for the fear that any magic he attempts on it might cause it to go haywire." Leon said, worry setting into his vocal cords now.

"Could there be any, like, anarchist or something who wants to blow the castle up?" Kairi asked and everybody just kind of stared at her. She shrugged her shoulders; it _was_ a legitimate question.

"I seriously doubt that someone who's wanted this place rebuilt for eight years now would just come and destroy it." Leon said, arching his eyebrows a bit. "And we know Maleficent hasn't been anywhere near here. Tron has the whole world bugged and wired to know if she even places a fingernail in here." Sora, Riku and Kairi looked at each other and they knew instantly what was going on…or they thought they did.

"Gentai…" Riku grumbled out and Sora nodded. Mickey managed to hear him as well and immediately began barking orders (well, at least as much as he _could_ bark orders).

"Donald, Goofy, you guys did a good job now come on back to Disney Castle." Mickey said with a fierce look on his face and you could only hear signs of admiration from off-camera.

"We'll go deal with this, Your Majesty." Sora said, thumping his chest in pride and Mickey nodded at him before Sora looked at Leon. "We'll meet you in the Borough, Leon, right outside Merlin's house." Leon nodded and he left the screen before Donald and Goofy came on the screen for a brief moment. "Sorry to leave you guys out of this, but we don't want you caught in the crossfire." Donald and Goofy just nodded before the connection terminated.

"Get goin' you guys!" Mickey said and the three of them nodded at him. Sora was the one to summon his Keyblade this time and open up a portal to Radiant Garden. Kairi and Riku stepped into the portal first, with Sora going directly behind them. The trip was very short and soon the three had emerged right outside the open door to Merlin's house. Leon was leaning against the house himself. He gave a start when they arrived. Sora was the first to speak up when he saw Leon.

"We think we know who put that bomb in your castle but there's now way to know for sure." Sora said quickly, as though time was of the essence though they had given all clues to indicate that the bomb was detonator rather than time based. But no sooner had the words tumbled forth from Sora's mouth than there was a loud chorus of clapping that echoed throughout the entire borough and seemed to be everywhere all at once.

"Or is there such a way to know?" came a very familiar voice, echoing over any sounds of commotion that caused everybody in the area, Restoration Committee members, Keybearers or not to stop what they were doing. There was a burst of light atop a building directly across from Merlin's house and Gentai stepped out, still wearing the same clothes he had been in when they last saw him on Treasure Planet. The only real difference about him was the lurking sneer on his face and the fact that he did, indeed, look more mature than he had before.

"Gentai! We knew you were behind this!" Sora yelled at the sixteen year old boy sitting atop the roof. "Why are you doing this?! Don't you know you'll hurt innocent people?!"

"Like my world was made of innocent people…like Demora was an innocent person." Gentai chuckled and the laugh sent Goosebumps up all of their spines. "You don't get it! Each and every one of you! You think you're so pure and innocent while you stand by and let places like Agradar happen. You're powerful but you'll still let stronger men like Hikaru take the fall for you! Well no more. This time, all those people that rely on you, they'll see how the mighty fall so far." He laughed even louder and more chilling this time.

"Gentai, you've got to stop this." Riku demanded, his tone taking a biting edge to it. "You don't need to do this to the world."

"Oh, I do, Riku." Gentai said with a snarl. "You see, why should worlds like Radiant Garden get the chance to live while mine perished. All worlds should be equivocal with one another. Death, and therefore destruction, is the great equalizer."

"So, what?" Kairi screamed. "Are you going to blow this whole entire world up just to prove a point?!" Once more Gentai laughed and held up a detonator.

"Oh no…that's much too easy. I have a little game for you all to play. Your fall from grace in the people's eyes is much more satisfying than watching this world die." Gentai's smirk had now become truly wicked. "You can finally experience the realm that is death…the opposite of life and birth in your struggle. Then we can see how strong the Keyblade wielders really are. Clock's ticking guys, you have only thirty minutes before…BOOM!" And he clapped his hands together loudly causing everyone to flinch before he laughed long and loud with abandon.

"I can't believe you! That's it, we're taking you now!" Sora said, summoning his Keyblade in a quick flash of light. Gentai just held up his finger.

"Whoa! You kill me that bomb explodes immediately and then there's no chance to save the people is there. Regardless of what happens you at least have that chance…even if the symbol of all their hard work will come crashing down in twenty nine minutes. Anyone approaches it, even Tron, I'll blow it sky high without a moment's hesitation. But leave it alone and you have the full time to get people to safety, good luck." And suddenly, Gentai vanished in a blast of light. Leon wasted no time. He quickly ran in through the open door of Merlin's house and told Cid to activate the town intercom system.

"Attention residents of Radiant Garden, evacuate the castle and town immediately. Please make your way to the Dark depths as fast as you can. We only have…" Leon checked one of the communications devices he had on for the time. "Twenty eight minutes before a bomb in the castle explodes. Please do not panic but calmly make your way out." He then clicked off. He turned to Cid. "Cid, contact Yuffie and start getting people out. Make sure Tron has those special security measures set up…"

"You got it Leon!" Cid said in his southern drawl and started to move out of Merlin's house but Leon's hand caught him.

"Contact Aerith too, tell her to get out and tend to whatever wounded there may be." Leon said. Cid nodded and he set off right away. Leon then turned to Merlin who was taking out his wand already. "Merlin, set as many defense spells around the castle as you can but particularly the postern and Ansem's Study. We don't want Tron to go offline." Merlin nodded and he poofed away from the sight.

"We'll help get people out of here Leon!" Sora said proudly, raising his Keyblade into the air. Riku and Kairi also summoned theirs in the thought that heartless might attack along the way. Leon nodded and grabbed his Gunblade from where it was sitting against the wall. Sora led the way to the upper level of the Borough and began running along the sturdy stone wall when something suddenly came out of nowhere and tackled him from the side. For a moment he thought it was a heartless as it lay on his stomach until he noticed one distinct feature about it: its eyes were red and not yellow.

Sora tried to struggle from under it but the creature had extraordinary strength for one so tiny. Then Sora noticed something on the creature's chest, however faint. It was a symbol he had only seen once before, two weeks ago when they were attacked and forced to abandon the Gummi Ship in space. Sora grunted and brought his free arm, holding the Keyblade to swipe at the creature but as soon as it would have made contact the creature jumped away with amazing deftness. Kairi helped Sora get up as Riku fired a shot of Dark Aura at the creature but it amazingly dodged that as well.

"What are these things?" Sora asked as more began surrounding them. They certainly looked like the standard Shadow Heartless except for their red eyes. And those red eyes made them scarier than any Heartless could be…and they were growing. Only one thought registered in all their heads at this: this was Gentai's doing. "That little…"

"He wants to prevent us from helping the people! I don't know what these creatures are and I don't care, but I'm not gonna let these people die because they're in our way!" Riku yelled and without so much as a warning he fired a bunch of different dark aura shots into the crowd of these creatures. Sora was sure that many of them made contact and so both he and Riku raised their hands in triumph before they saw that many more had already sprung up to take their fallen comrades places…and they were bigger this time.

"Uhh…crap." Sora said simply and next to him, Kairi was whimpering, thinking of only one thing: red eyes. A year ago, there had been red eyes in her vision and she only hoped that the dream wasn't coming true with these creatures. Riku grimaced.

"Sora, Kairi, go! I'll take care of these guys and meet you at the castle gates. Go and help the citizens!" Riku cried out. Both of them stared at him like he was mad. "We probably only have twenty minutes now get moving!" Kairi was about to resolutely refuse but Sora grabbed her arm and started pulling her along, while attempting to hack through the new creatures that were pressing in on them…it almost made him nostalgic for Heartless. Riku smirked, hoping that being alone would get him into his zone.

The creatures jumped at him but before they could make contact a red fireball came flying out of nowhere and exploded the creatures upon impact. Leon came running up to him, his Gunblade cocked.

"I thought you might be able to use some help. I got some news that most of the people have gotten out save for the hospital and marketplace but Cloud is helping in the marketplace." Leon said rather quickly, and it seemed that he was out of breath. Riku nodded shortly before Leon noticed something. "Where are Sora and Kairi?"

"I sent them ahead. We stand a better chance if we keep these things distracted here while they help the citizens get out." Riku said and Leon nodded, agreeing with his line of thought. He then turned his back to Riku as the new creatures swarmed in around them. He then leapt forward and began hacking and slashing at the creatures. They weren't as easy to hit as the Heartless had been, nor even as easy as the Nobodies. The creatures were pretty dexterous and avoided a lot of his blows magical or otherwise. Pretty soon they had hemmed the duo in.

"Well, I don't think this looks good for us. I've been keeping track of time and we only have eight minutes left. We have to get out of here and to the Bailey fast, that's the easiest way out of here." Leon said and Riku nodded avoiding another attack before whipping around and managing to successfully destroy yet another one of the creatures.

"I have an idea…but I've never tried it before." Riku said, a slight sense of worry creeping into his tones. "It may work but I need you to keep close and don't move." Leon, despite being the older individual in this case nodded and inched closer to Riku, fending off some of the attacks. Riku closed his eyes. He fired a dark aura shot in the air and then created a reflect shield where it would hit. he then quickly calculated where it needed to go, the shot building up speed and power until it was angling towards them. Without another thought he erected a large reflect shield around the two of them but the blow of his dark aura was so strong now the shield was merely absorbing the energy, which Riku used to his advantage. He pushed the shield outward, engulfing the strange creatures until at last the shield could take no more and shattered.

When it did, the creatures were gone at last…but Riku was running pretty low on energy. But Leon told him seven minutes and he knew he had to save it for later. The two ran forward, pushing themselves into the Bailey where they saw Sora and Kairi getting the last of the stragglers through the gate. Radiant Garden had recently decided to add an actual gate in the Bailey so that it could be more accessible and Riku found it was a good thing they did.

"Riku, you're okay!" Kairi yelled when she saw him and he nodded. She then looked up the path to the Restoration Site and saw a group of three people stumbling down: an older couple supporting an injured young man. Kairi recognized them immediately. "Floyd! Emily!"

"Oh, Your Highness…" Floyd wheezed out as he approached, clearly fatigued from carrying the young man. Leon immediately took over and began carrying the man out, indicating they had five minutes left.

"Let's get going Floyd!" Emily said in a very snappy tone. "We'll have time to talk with Her Highness when we're all safe in the Dark Depths." Sora and Riku came running up to the three and skidding to a stop.

"Hey, come on! Four minutes by now, let's go!" Sora yelled. Everybody there nodded and they immediately proceeded to run out of the gate. Thankfully, Sora knew that at their current speed it would take only two minutes to get to the safety of the Ravine Trail which would leave two more minutes to escape the blast…and he knew that everybody had gotten out. he saw a white poof in the direction of the Dark Depths and knew that Merlin had completed his job just as he set foot on the blue and green tiled area of where he, Donald, and Goofy had fought Demyx all those years ago. As soon as he stepped foot there, however, he heard a cry.

"Citizens of Radiant Garden…Welcome to your Hollow Bastion!!" came the familiar voice, crying over the wind. Then, it started as a rumble…but it grew louder and louder until at last Sora heard it:

The explosion that changed the worlds.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: And that is where I'm ending the chapter. I know, it's evil, and you'll have to wait for after the weekend to find out what happens next so just be patient. This was a part that was actually one of the first to be conceived in writing this story and I hope this first chapter of it turned out well. For anyone who didn't notice: yes, I brought the Unbirths in because it's fan fiction and I can theorize all I want and not get blamed even if I'm wrong…I will explain my theory on them in due course but not today. Now, I must ask, what did you think of this chapter and my big surprise? Also, do you think that Gentai has, in his own crazy way, a good point? I worked hard on that little speech of his (especially the BOOM part) and I hope it turned out well. In any other case, this shows Gentai's lunacy and also, if you remember the homework assignment at the end of Part I to listen to "Like a Dog Chasing Cars" on The Dark Knight soundtrack…well, just imagine it playing during either this chapter or next and you'll find it interesting…maybe. Until next week then, drop a review please, and Dare to Be Silly.

**P.S. I have updated my profile page section on **_**Fear of the Darkness**_** reflecting much more than what I could give before due to the fact I hadn't written this chapter yet.**


	13. Chapter 37: A Challenge

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any anger directed towards me, the author of this story, after this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 37

A Challenge

"_A challenge, is it?"_

-Luxord

Sora recoiled on instinct the moment that he felt the blast hit. He covered the back of his hands with his arms and practically covered his whole entire head with them as he crouched, making sure to pay extra special attention to the ears. The explosion was at the castle, a slight distance away and now pieces of rubble and rock were raining down upon them, thankfully overshooting them. None of the Keyblade wielders had time to cast any sort of protective spell as debris came crushing upon them and the explosion proceeded to tear apart the castle. It lasted a good three minutes, before at last all was silent save for the final pieces of debris falling. Sora and Riku were the first to look up and see the sight.

The whole top portion of the castle at Radiant Garden was completely sheared off and much of the lower level rooms were cluttered with an insane amount of bricks, pipes and all other manner of machinery that had still been left in the castle. Those two took the blow hardest. Sora himself had watched that castle being rebuilt over the years and now, most of it was gone, almost completely obliterated. Meanwhile, Riku had stayed in that castle for much a time, even though it was under the control of Maleficent at the time.

But Riku was angry. Gentai had played a game with them. There had only been four minutes left when they set off through the castle gate and it had taken only two minutes to get down there, which was the moment that the bomb went off at last. Gentai had lied. He had detonated it earlier than he said he would. His eyes snapped in another direction as Kairi gave a sharp outcry. For a moment, he had feared that she herself was harmed but she saw the situation was much different. The old woman that they had run out with was crumpled on the ground under a rock that happened to hit her. The old man, her husband as it seemed was kneeling over her sobbing.

"Em…oh, Em…" Floyd sobbed out, hit by the loss of his wife of many years. Kairi was holding Floyd's shoulders to steady him as he sobbed. And yet, after a minute or so of such sobbing, during which Sora had put his arms around Kairi to comfort her, Floyd stopped and on his face seemed to be a look of resolve. "I'm sorry Em…"

"Will you be okay, Floyd?" Kairi asked in the most sympathetic tone in all the worlds. Floyd turned to her and smiled.

"Yes. Though Em is gone…she would not want me to weep. She would want me to continue her work where she left it. And so I shall. With your grace, Your Majesty, I shall rebuild Radiant Garden." Floyd said with a warm smile, and even amidst the destruction, Sora and Kairi couldn't help but smile back. Riku however, held no semblance of joy in his heart.

"GENTAI!!!" Riku cried as loud as he could and it caused even Sora and Kairi to look at him as they stood up. Soon there was a flash of light slightly higher up from them.

"You called, Riku?" Gentai said with a cocky attitude and Riku scowled at him.

"You set that bomb off early!" Riku yelled with a snarl and Gentai shrugged his shoulders.

"You guys had cleared the castle, I figured it was okay to detonate it. I mean, a few casualties here and there…it's all part of the game isn't it?" Gentai said with a wicked smirk back on his face.

"A game?!" Sora yelled incredulously. "You think that this is a game?!!!"

"Of course." Gentai gave a snicker as he stared at the Keyblade wielders below him. "And to prove a point, I'm giving you another chance to play with my next three bombs." All of them took a step back and Gentai arched an eyebrow in their direction. "What? Did you seriously think I wasn't busy while you two were playing around with that Edge at Maxville?" Even more, their eyes widened at this comment. "Oh come on! Are all of you _really_ this naïve? I mean, I would've thought you'd figure out I was tracking your every move through surveillance at my castle. Why do you think I strung Donald and Goofy along until you came back to Disney Castle? Why do you think I jammed Radiant Garden's transmissions and chose not to leave a clue at Twilight Town until the day you came back?! I've been _planning_ this!"

"You…" Riku seethed and Gentai merely smiled at him. But there was no sense of warmth in the smile, only a cold turbulence towards the worlds and all its inhabitants.

"Don't pay me such compliments, Riku. But let's get to the point." He jumped down from his high placed perch and landed without a scratch on the ground right in front of the trio. "I told you that you'd have another chance. I have three bombs, or rather, I've placed bombs on three worlds: Twilight Town, Destiny Islands, and of course, Disney Castle itself. All three will go off simultaneously in one hour precisely. I won't stop you from finding them, I could care less. I mean, that's not to say I won't put up opposition…but really, I think you'll be hard pressed to stop all of them."

"Gentai, stop it! Don't do this!" Kairi yelled, almost pleading with the demented sixteen year old boy. He shook his head and said straight to them, not a flicker of a smile on his face:

"There is no more stopping now." And with that he vanished in a burst of light, leaving them with one hour until oblivion. They faced each other.

"We have to split up." Riku said with authority and the other two nodded. "I'll take Disney Castle."

"I'll take the islands." Kairi said and Sora knew that left him with Twilight Town. They all summoned their Keyblades and opened portals to their respective destinations. Sora arrived into the sunset streaked world of Twilight Town and instantly began thinking about what he needed to do. And the first step was finding Hayner, Pence, and Olette. And he found them soon…or rather, they found him.

"Sora, man!" Hayner yelled as he ran up to Sora and Sora stopped his mad dash through the town. Olette was following slowly behind her husband but soon was able to catch up. "Hey, we have some news we wanted to tell you."

"That's great! And I'd love to hear it but now's not the time." And Sora quickly explained the entire situation to the couple. Hayner listened without interrupting. "Is there any place that we can get everybody into relative safety?"

"The Underground Concourse…" Olette replied in a slightly worried tone. Sora put a hand on both their shoulders.

"Then raise an alarm and get people moving there as quick as possible. We only have forty five minutes left." The two nodded and immediately set off to alert the mayor of the town. Sora himself pelted along through Station Heights to quickly get to the Sandlot. As soon as he was there, he ran into Seifer.

"You again?! You want a fight?!" Seifer yelled and Sora wanted to yell at him to shut his trap but decided that it wasn't the smartest thing.

"No, I'm not here for a fight!" Sora yelled when suddenly one of the creatures from Radiant Garden came pelting in and nearly attacked Seifer but Sora summoned his Keyblade in a flash and was lucky enough to slice through the creature. "This town is under attack! Get moving to the Underground Concourse!" And Seifer, now that he had seen the creature, took off with Rai, Fuu and Vivi as fast as possible. Suddenly, more of the red-eyed creatures began surrounding him and Sora grimaced. They leapt at him.

"Fire!" Sora yelled and a great flame surrounded him and barbecued the creatures. But it wasn't enough to destroy all of them and judging from the clock tower, he was running out of time. Thankfully, at that moment the alarm and announcement sounded telling everybody to move to the Underground Concourse. Of course, Sora knew that the Nobodies inhabited those parts but he nevertheless believed that the citizens of Twilight Town would stand a better chance against them than against the might of Gentai's magical bomb.

Sora knew that Gentai had finally snapped just from this whole little game that he was playing with them. He wasn't even sure if Gentai was bluffing. If he was bluffing then there wouldn't be any real problem…but they couldn't rely on the chance, however small, that he was bluffing. The red-eyed creatures leapt at Sora and he dodge rolled out of the way, jutting his Keyblade into the sky before springing up and jumping over them, spinning his Keyblade around him. Many of the creatures were destroyed with that swipe and Sora knew that he had at last broken through. _Well, at least I don't have to deal with Heartless_ and _these things._

Sora glanced at the clock tower as he ran into Tram Common and saw that despite all his best efforts there were already only fifteen minutes left before that bomb hit. He knew he couldn't even try to find it, even if he desperately wanted to. Somehow, he even knew that Gentai had planned for them to fail at this crucial juncture…he had definitely turned down crazy street. Sora saw that the final stragglers were finally making their way out of Tram Common. One of them, a young man with blonde hair stumbled out of his shop but got caught on his desk and tumbled over, damaging his leg. Sora quickly ran over.

"Leave me…my life's not worth anything." The man said with some ounce of sadness. Sora just grimaced and hoisted him up onto his shoulders. He looked the man in the eyes.

"Every life is worth something!" Sora said and he began helping the man along. They finally reached the Underground Concourse entrance in Tram Common and Sora helped the man hobble inside. He looked at the clock; helping the man had taken longer than he thought…there were only three minutes left. _Well, hope Gentai doesn't cheat us this time_. He knew that he would need those three minutes to cast reflect spells all around the Underground Concourse to make sure it didn't collapse on them. He focused his mind and prepared to spread his magic over the whole area though he knew it would drain him. He waved his Keyblade and a light blossomed at the top, spreading the spell through the entire area just as the clock hit the final second of the hour. And it was then, that Sora felt the shuddering weight of the bomb slamming against his magical protection.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, at Disney Castle, Riku's arrival and news to both the king and Edge was not welcome. Thankfully, Donald and Goofy had not yet returned and therefore would possibly be safe if anything happened to the castle. But Riku had no time to waste and said he needed to find that bomb.

"Max!" Mickey called out and Max, who was just around the corner, came rushing over and saluted. "I need you to gather everybody from Montressor and get them on their way as soon as possible, in the next hour."

"And get my Order moving so that they can help out." Edge commanded as well, needing his Order to begin helping here of all places. Max saluted and, like his father before him, raced off to do the king's bidding as quickly as possible, even giving an accidental "a-hyuck" as he ran off.

"Your Majesty, how could Gentai even enter the castle?" Riku demanded. "The laws of the castle state that no person with darkness inside of them can enter, you told me so yourself." Mickey put a finger to his chin and thought about this for a moment. However, Edge was the first one to put his theory forth.

"Couldn't it be possible…that Gentai has no darkness in his heart?" Edge said with a shrug of his shoulder and both the king and Riku looked at him. "I mean…it is possible. Not likely, but not unheard of."

"But only the princesses have no darkness in their hearts." Mickey demanded and Riku began shaking his head, remembering the one fact of Gentai's existence that he could remember.

"No…Gentai is the only male with no darkness in his heart and no darkness that could enter it…" Riku said solemnly and Mickey looked completely taken aback. "Apparently he's the first male since Windsor when he formed the Round of the Crown so many years ago…"

"Then that means he _could_ enter the castle!" Mickey yelled out in fear and terror, the most ever heard from the small diminutive king of Disney Castle. Riku nodded his head but cut it off in mid-nod realizing their discussion could drag on forever and they would need to find that bomb.

"Where could he place a bomb where no one would find it without spending too much time looking for it?!" Riku asked, his voice now rushed given the situation. He thought Mickey would have to think about it but it turned out to not be the case.

"The Hall of the Cornerstone!" Mickey yelled, and without another word, both Riku and Edge pelted their way into the Audience Chamber, knowing somewhat of the secret room down below the throne. Mickey rushed in behind them but was soon able to overtake them. "Only I can open the room so stay back!" Mickey quickly darted to the throne and pressed the button that shifted the pedestal containing the throne to move aside and reveal the path to the Hall of the Cornerstone. All three of the Keyblade wielders quickly ran below and found the bomb sitting there.

It was a shimmering rainbow of colors that was sitting there. There were wires sticking out of it but it seemed to be more for the detonation and timing purposes rather than part of the bomb itself. On the whole, the bomb was rather magical and now Riku understood why Merlin didn't want to use any magic for fear that one tiny spark of the wrong magic would set it overboard. Mickey was the one currently examining it and he was quickly able to remark on the fact that there didn't seem to be a timer there but that Gentai had set it internally within the bomb. Overall, that meant there was no way to shut down the bomb and deactivate it. Riku quickly thought about the time they had spent finding the king and Edge, telling Max to get moving, rushing to the Hall of the Cornerstone, their discussion and their examination of the bomb and was quickly able to determine: they had only five minutes left before the bomb would blow them all up.

"Mickey, we have to think of something!" Riku yelled. "We only have five minutes left!" Mickey looked startled at this new observation. Edge was the first one to put forth a suggestion.

"All we can do is attempt to block the blast with our own spells then. Here's where it will be the strongest but if we can keep it in a small field where the blast will merely scorch part of the floor then we can still save this castle." Edge said and he looked into Riku's eyes, silently imploring him to accept his decision. Riku returned the gaze for a moment before giving a short cut nod.

"Between the three of us we should be able to defend this castle from the blast." Riku agreed and all three summoned their Keyblades quickly. Riku kept the mental count in his head as the bomb finally reached its final countdown. _5…4…3…2…1…_

They cast their reflect spells over the bomb, hoping that they and the entire castle would survive the blast to come.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At long last, a minute or two after the blast had begun, Sora released his reflect spell and nearly collapsed, supported only by Pence and Hayner who had come to make sure that their friend was okay. He brushed them off, assuring them that he was perfectly fine. Then he took a glance outside of the tunnel. He couldn't see very much for there was still dust settling n the air. And so he decided that he needed to see everything that had happened for himself. He took off at a brisk pace for the outer portion of Tram Common, Hayner and Pence following him quickly. What Sora saw outside stunned him more than anything in all the worlds could have.

Tram Common was fully obliterated and Sora could only imagine that all the rest of Twilight Town was much the same as it. He looked and saw that half of the woods were burned away fully and completely, not even the trunks withstanding the blast. However, beyond them, the Old Mansion had managed to remain standing, unshaken and un-withered by the destructive force that had just struck Twilight Town. Sora did a quick turn and saw that many of the buildings had their tops sheared off and Sora thought that clearly the Sandlot would be nothing but one huge pile of sand. As he looked towards the station the biggest pang hit his heart: the clock tower was gone.

Sora ran forward, wanting to actually see the site of the largest destruction for himself. Hayner and Pence followed behind him obediently as he ran. After a few moments, the three of them reached what was one Station Plaza. Thankfully, Sora's spell had worked and had protected the gateway here that led to the Underground Concourse. But the tiles were ripped up and bricks scattered all across. The bells from the clock tower lay on the ground, shattered and broken and the metal hands were lying next to them. Sora dropped to his knees and tears came from his eyes as he saw the sight. He heard Hayner and Pence both gasp behind him.

"I can't believe this…" Hayner said in an extremely hushed voice. "I thought our lives would be perfect…but now this…"

"Perfect?" Sora asked with a weak chuckle. But even that felt false to him right now.

"Olette just found out that she's pregnant…we were gonna have a kid, raise him here and now…this place isn't even fit for humans our age." Hayner said and Sora could hear his strained tones, knowing that he was biting back crying. Sora picked himself up and stared at the remains of the once great Clock Tower.

That was when the anger struck. It wasn't a blind rage but just a simple justifiable anger. A million thoughts were roaming his head. The death of Demora, Gentai's rage at the Huntsman, the destruction of Radiant Garden, of Twilight Town, and of Hayner and Olette's unborn child resting in her womb. His face transformed into a dark scowl. Suddenly, in his hand the Keyblade appeared, unbidden but completely welcome. However, it was no longer the Keyblade that Sora usually held in battle. It was dark, almost obsidian were it not metal. Its hand guard was in a circle with a purple diamond shaped jewel set right above it. The shaft itself extended above it in a black network of chains until it reached the very top where it had a very sharp tip and an even sharper, black blade. Hanging from it was a keychain that held a black crown similar to Sora's own pendant.

Sora was at last wielding the Oblivion keychain again…and he could only hope that it would be enough to stop Gentai now…and save the worlds again. But for now, he knew that he couldn't stay here because he was worried for Kairi and the fate of both the islands and Disney Castle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kairi herself was staring at the destruction of Destiny Islands from right outside the Secret Place. She had attempted to save as many people as she could from the moment that she had set foot on the islands again. True, she had been forced to listen to Selphie ranting on and complaining about where she had been for practically a month now (three weeks to be almost precisely exact) but after ten minutes of struggling with the slightly deluded girl she had subdued her and got her, Tidus, and Wakka moving around all the islands and telling them to take shelter on the children's play island or elsewhere, namely Mount Destiny.

Unfortunately, there had been many stragglers in that very same struggle and so Kairi ordered all of them to gather around her while she cast a reflect spell. If Sora had not trained her all those years ago to use magic, and had she not cultivated her white magic skills she could very well had lost more lives that day than had already been lost. After she saw what the death toll was on the island where she used to live she decided that she needed to check out how the people that had gone to the Secret Place had fared. Everyone there was fine, but for the few the few stragglers who were now dead in the sand. However, the island was a completely different story. Smoke was covering out the sky and blotting out the sun and many of the dead bodies were scared, different parts of their body scattered out all over the place.

Perhaps the most crushing blow occurred when she saw the paopu tree. It was gone. It was completely obliterated. And she just knew what she would see next. She closed her eyes and turned away from the crushed and destroyed island that had once held the magnificent paopu tree where she, Sora, and Riku had spent their days. When she opened them her eyes found the last horrible sight that she had been expecting but had not wanted to see.

There was a thick mist swirling around all of the dead bodies and the red-eyed creatures that Kairi had fought with both Sora and Riku on Radiant Garden were there, the mist swirling around and entering their figures somehow. A year ago…she had seen this a year ago in a dream. It had only been once but it had scared her so much that she quaked for hours…even after Riku had assured her that it was just a dream. But now it wasn't just a dream; it was reality. There was death…there was destruction. And if Gentai wasn't stopped there would be more. She collapsed to the beach, her body racked with sorrow. All the hope she had of a peaceful life after this…was all but gone.

But there was one thought that was foremost in her mind. She summoned her Keyblade and created a portal to Disney Castle just as Selphie, who had survived the explosion, came running up to her.

"Take care of everyone…you'll get through this." Kairi said simply, with as much of a smile as she could muster. Then she stepped through the portal. She had to see, had to _know_ whether the castle and her fiancée were all right.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the ruins of the castle at Radiant Garden only one sole figure stood, shifting rubble aside with his foot. Gentai was standing there, the wind whipping his clothes about him and ruffling his hair that had grown slightly longer. There were actually tears staining his eyes as he thought about all the things. He took a deep breath but even that proved to be too much for him and he dropped onto one knee. He wanted to stop, oh how desperately he wanted to stop…and yet he couldn't something was driving him to this point. And he knew there was only one way to end this, one way that would allow him to sleep after months of going without it. It would require perfect planning, just as the destruction and practical revenge he had just exacted had. But overall, he knew it came down to one thing:

He needed to fulfill his destiny.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Yes, let the anger fly for my destruction of these two beloved lands. Believe me, I love Twilight Town and it breaks my heart to destroy it…but I had to. I know, it seems like nothing good for this but as the saying goes: "The night is always darkest just before the dawn" and I promise you this, the dawn of this story is coming. Things have to get worse before they get better and I promise you they'll get better before the end (but not too much better since there is a final installment). This should cue you in as to what is going on inside Gentai at this time, and I'll leave it up to you to decide what he's planning to do.

**In any case, next chapter is Prydain at last and the final conquest against the Hellfire Club. Now, I must take this time to ask all my readers about Edge as I've got one reviewer (Captain A, that's you) who clearly doesn't like Edge. You are, of course, entitled to your own opinion, but the idea is not for you to hate Edge. You don't have to love his character but I wanted you to like him, and if you don't then I'm not doing my job as a writer. Don't blame him for all of his order's actions as we'll show next chapter and even as we get into **_**Fear of the Darkness**_**, none of this is entirely his fault. I just want to say that. So please drop your probably angry review, and Dare to Be Silly (which is kind of ironic considering I've written such a dark story).**


	14. Chapter 38: Divide and Be Conquered

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor do I own The Black Cauldron or The Chronicles of Prydain...**

* * *

Chapter 38

Divide and Be Conquered

"_We just hafta split up."_

-Goofy

Both Sora and Kairi were relieved to find that Disney Castle had indeed been saved. Riku and Edge were resting, their bodies the most heavily taxed out of the whole trio from containing the bomb there and as soon as they arrived and had given their disastrous reports, Mickey sent them off to chambers to rest. They were pleased to find that Jim Hawkins, Captain Amelia, B.E.N. and Doctor Doppler had made it off the world and were heading home to Montressor Spaceport with all of their prisoners stuck in the brig of Chip and Dale's newest Gummi Ship, the _H.M.S. Legacy_ (which seemed a little ironic to both Sora and Kairi). Regardless, they were grateful for the sleep that soon claimed them.

While those four Keyblade wielders were sleeping, Mickey was meeting with Edge's other nine generals as well as Donald and Goofy who had just recently arrived and they all came to a decision. The generals would go to many of the worlds and garner the help of as many sorcerers and magicians as possible while Donald and Goofy went to seek the help of Genie on Agrabah. All of these efforts would hopefully help in being able to rebuild Radiant Garden, Twilight Town, and Destiny Islands. Meanwhile, the king himself would contact his old master yen Sid in order to discuss what seemed to be yet another new threat to the galaxy, based on Sora, Kairi, _and_ Riku's description of them. Of course, Mickey knew that the Horned King and Maleficent still needed to be taken care of…but so did Gentai who was a very different and much more formidable threat. For now, however, Mickey allowed them to rest; they would need their strength for the battles to come tomorrow.

Mickey himself was also tired and decided to himself that he needed to rest as well. Yen Sid could wait until the others were safely (or not safely) off to Prydain the next day. The other nine generals were out and about, looking for magicians or the like (from Sora's storied he had Hercules in mind) and so would discourage any kind of attacks on the rest of the worlds…but Mickey was worried. Gentai was able to enter the castle because he had no darkness inside him and yet he was doing all of these despicably _evil_ things. He would have to ask Yen Sid about that…could any one who had light in their hearts and no darkness enter the castle? Or was it that perhaps Gentai was so conflicted inside that he could still enter? These ruminations didn't matter much and soon, as night fell on Disney Castle, Mickey found himself falling asleep in his throne.

It was indeed morning again when the mouse king found himself being shaken awake by Edge. However, it was not just the two of them in the throne room. Sora, Riku, and Kairi were also there as well. Mickey rubbed his eyes, still groggy from his sleep given that he had just woken up. He hopped out of his throne and looked at the four adults standing before him.

"Your Majesty, my nine generals have indeed left and we're here per your request." Edge said and Mickey nodded. "What do you need of us?"

"Gentai's a problem, fellas, and he's one that we need to take care of. But Maleficent and the Horned King are still out there…" Mickey said with some sadness before he looked at his fellow Keyblade wielders. "We need to split up and make this a double attack."

"But where will we even _find_ Gentai?!" Sora asked with trepidation and all of them thought on this for a moment, Riku the first to realize something.

"A castle…Gentai said something about observing us from a castle." Riku said. "But I don't know which castle he could possibly be talking about. I doubt that any castle we know of would harbor him." Edge gave a start next to him and looked at Riku.

"Castle?! You're sure that he said castle?" Edge asked and Riku nodded curtly, unsure of where Edge was going with this at all. "There's only one castle in all of existence that has been abandoned for a very long time. I know Gentai could not have gone to Castle Oblivion therefore the only place he could have gone was Crown Fortress."

"Crown Fortress?" Kairi asked in confusion over this whole thing. Edge began pacing around them.

"Crown Fortress was once the castle of the Chasers before they fell under the powers of Master Xehanort and his horde of Unbirths…We once thought of inhabiting it but my men feared it to be a tomb of the Chasers long past. I'm sorry to say that I merely felt the thrill of death merely gazing upon it." Edge turned to face the younger Keyblade wielders around him. "If what Riku said is correct then that's where we'll find Gentai." All three of them nodded, trusting edge for this moment and with this piece of information.

"Then I'll go to Crown Fortress and the rest of you will go after the Horned King in Prydain." Riku said with a sense of finality and Sora staggered backward in shock.

"Riku, are you crazy?! There's no way you can take on Gentai alone. We need all of us if we're going to do this! We can't afford to split up." Sora yelled and Riku just glared at him for a moment.

"I need to do this Sora. It needs to be me. Gentai is my burden and mine alone!" Riku said, his voice going a little higher than he had intended it to.

"Riku, none of us want to see you get hurt, that's all! It'll be better if you just come with us to Prydain." Sora said and suddenly Riku's body grew rigid and he went on the defensive.

"You just want some of the credit for yourself!!" Riku yelled and for a moment it almost seemed as though the voice speaking was not Riku at all, but a voice familiar and yet foreign. Sora took another step back in hurt. Riku suddenly clutched his head with his hand and peered at Sora with a pleading gesture. "I'm sorry…I don't know what made me say it."

"It's okay…" Sora insisted and Riku gave him a weak smile.

"You must understand…just like with Xehanort's Heartless, this is something I must do one my own. Gentai is my responsibility." Riku then turned to Edge and Edge nodded.

"Then I'll go with Sora and Kairi to Prydain while you go after Gentai." He summoned his Keyblades and opened a portal to the Chaser's Castle. Riku nodded at him in thanks and prepared to step through but Edge's words called him back. "Riku! Hold strength in your heart…you'll beat him." Riku nodded again and without another word was off.

He felt the portal close up behind him as he strode through the brief corridor and emerged into the new world. He stopped for a breather. He hadn't been himself when he had snapped at Sora like that…and he knew that he had lied to Sora when he said that he didn't know why he said that. He knew why. He placed a hand over his heart. Xehanort was drawing closer to him…and it was making him uneasy. He didn't want him to take his heart before this was over. Well, he didn't want him to take his heart at all but it would be better for it to happen after rather than now. At last Riku gave himself a chance to look up at Crown Fortress.

Its gates were wide and made of fine woodwork that was now scorched. Riku could only imagine what had happened here so long ago to make an Order as strong as the Chasers fall. He strode up to the gates and summoned Way to Dawn into his hand. He pointed them at the gates and they swung open after a thin beam of light pierced them and Riku had quickly dismissed his Keyblade. And so he delved into the castle halls. Riku quickly got a feel of how the attack had gone down. As he strode along he saw many rooms but no bodies whatsoever…it clearly wasn't the tomb that Edge thought it was, but he had to give credit to Edge to even coming near this place: he himself already felt like turning tail and fleeing.

He chanced glances into the room as he strode by and stopped before one of the larger ones. He knew he had to loom for Gentai and felt that perhaps he was in this room. However, all he found was a library filled with books. Many were extremely tattered, ripped and torn but some were still in prime condition. Riku searched through the wreckage of tomes and soon stumbled across a scary sight: the only skeleton that Riku had found in the entire castle was seated there amidst the rubble. In his hand was clutched a small silver disk. Riku bent down and removed it quickly from the figures hand. It was rather dusty and so Riku blew on it, soon finding a small button on its side. He pressed the button.

"They've taken the gate and are streaming across the ramparts." the voice, probably belonging to the skeleton, was saying hurriedly. "Why have they betrayed us? Only one with a Keyblade can enter…they are allowing the creatures in…the Unbirths are bringing death upon us. They are streaming the halls…soon they will fall. The ten thrones will be crushed and the Round of the Crown…Windsor! What are you-?!" There seemed to be a commotion coming through the device that must have been a sound recorder. There was the sound of metal on metal until a gagging noise was heard and the noise coming from the recorder was muffled. "Then…we have…failed. I am so sorry my son…I love you Ale-"

In front of Riku's eyes the recorder suddenly burst into flame, now having played its message. Unbirths? Was that what those creatures were? And what was that about Windsor coming in at that moment? And who had the voice been speaking about at the end? Riku shook his head, it didn't matter anymore. He still needed to find Gentai. He pelted out of the library and into the hall. He then began dashing down the hall. In his mind, he figured that the hall must end somewhere and when it did…

He never noticed the change of scenery as he pelted down the hall. He had never noticed that the color of the walls were blue or that red eyes were staring out at him from behind the wall. He only fully realized all this when he entered into a large circular chamber. It was a lower level that he was standing on, and about five feet above him were nine circling thrones with the tenth throne that completed the circle, residing slightly above the other nine. Riku gasped upon entrance. He _knew_ this place. He had never been here before…and yet….

There was a bright light suddenly from where the tenth and highest throne sat and Riku immediately covered his eyes. The bright light persisted for about a minute before a voice spoke the words that Riku knew and dreaded to hear. "I didn't think you'd come, Riku." Then Riku took his hands from his eyes and looked into the light, trying to discern who the figure was emerging. But unlike the year before when he had this dream…he knew who was coming. That was why, when the light faded, he remained unsurprised to see Gentai.

"You have a lot of guts coming all by yourself, I'll give you that." Gentai said with a smirk. Riku scowled at him for a moment.

"Then let's finish this now!" Riku said, quickly summoning his Keyblade to his hand. Gentai seemed to chide him a bit whit his tsking noise while he shook his head.

"Riku…I don't want to fight you. You were my friend for this past year. Can we not put our differences aside?" Gentai asked with a simpering smile that Riku did not believe for a minute.

"We'll do that after you're finished." Riku yelled out. Gentai heaved a great sigh and summoned Pale Twilight to his hands.

"All right then, have it your way." Gentai said with a smirk and with a flick of his Keyblade he sent a great torrent of raging fire at Riku. Riku crouched low and erected a shield around him. The flames battered him for a moment until Gentai released them. Riku quickly dropped the shield and sent a shot of dark aura at him which Gentai swung his Keyblade at and deflected. He then raised his Keyblade again before swinging it in an arc. Suddenly, ice needles emerged from the floor where he was standing and carried him up. Riku jumped off and switched his Keyblade around, rubbing the grooved handle of his Keyblade against the ice to slow his fall.

Gentai grimaced and released the ice, opting instead to created a tomb of rock around Riku. Riku saw it coming and quickly enacted a shorter but similar strategy to that which he had used against the creatures known as the Unbirths. In but a moment the earthen shield collapsed and broke away. Gentai wasted no time and sent a wave of water at the unsuspecting form of Riku. Riku flipped backwards and peppered the waves with Dark Aura. It managed to break the wave up and it crashed in among itself. Gentai scowled at this occurrence as Riku leapt into the air and sent a wave of dark energy soaring at his former friend. Gentai plunged his Keyblade into the ground where it broke the waves of darkness and left him virtually unscathed. Gentai chuckled.

"It's clear that magic abilities are useless in a contest to see which one of us is better." Gentai said and he jumped down to the same level that Riku was on. "So clearly…we must test our strength and skill of our Keyblades." Gentai's eyes opened the challenge, and without a single word, Riku ran at him.

Their Keyblades collided with momentous force and the two began clashing and whirling around the hallway. Both of them hacked and slashed at each other. Gentai flipped over Riku and attempted a strike at his backside which Riku wasn't fooled by, quickly whipping around and blocking the blow to his midsection. He smirked and pushed Gentai off of him. Gentai staggered back slightly and Riku angled his Keyblade so that the point was facing straight at Gentai. He ran at Gentai and the two Keyblades collided again. Gentai pushed back at Riku with extreme force and the two seemed to be locked in an eternal struggle as neither Keyblade wanted to move. So Gentai extended his foot and kicked Riku away from him.

Way to Dawn flew out of Riku's hands and scattered to the floor. he stretched out his hand to summon the blade back but Gentai looked at him, his eyes glistening with a sudden flash of yellow. And Riku crumpled in pain, the scar on his back searing with a thousand different levels of pain. He didn't know why there was son much pain within him, or why it was happening now that the pain surged through his back. He tried to crawl forward but even that option was denied to him since his back was in so much pain. Gentai strode up to him and pointed his Keyblade at him. Thick ropes of light bound themselves around Riku. Gentai dismissed his Keyblade and for a moment, Riku thought he saw Gentai's shoulder sag slightly.

"I'm sorry, Riku…but it looks like you lost." Gentai said before he gave Riku a sharp kick to the head and he was out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Light blossomed in the world of Prydain; a patch of light that no one would have possibly thought would appear there, given the dark times under the Horned King. Out of that portal emerged the forms of Sora, Kairi, and Edge ready to take on the Horned King at last. Sora glanced around. Edge's portal had brought them into a wooded area with trees that had life and yet some small ways to the distance showed a thrill of death.

"Well…this is a real cheerful place to bring us out." Sora said with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"This is probably the most sheltered place in Prydain other than Caer Dallben. But I'd rather not get Dallben too involved with this matter, or in any danger." Edge said with simplicity, explaining his reasons for dropping them out here. Sora took a moment to glare at Edge fully.

"Oh, so you've been here and never thought to take down the Horned King?" Sora said with anger quivering in his voice and Kairi could already tell where this line of thought was going to lead. Edge turned to him with a stern look on his face.

"When I came here, it was years ago and the Horned King's realm was rather small; he wasn't much of a threat, and he certainly hadn't joined forces with Maleficent yet." Edge said, his own rage beginning to build.

"Yeah, but when he did join up with Maleficent and started to grow you and your order didn't exactly do anything to stop him did you now?" Sora asked with ferocity and Edge strode up to him and got in his face.

"Understand me Sora. I am not proud of my order's actions but you know very little about leading men into battle. People like you disgust me…you remind me of my father." Edge said with a repulsive look on his face. "He thought he could question the Round of the Crown back in the day with their leadership quality when he knew nothing of how to lead men at all. Well, you just have to look at what happened to him! Dead, for eighteen years now since the fall of the Round of the Crown."

"I know how to lead people. I've led Donald and Goofy into a bunch of battles!" Sora commanded and Edge drew away from him, shaking his head.

"No, Sora, you don't understand anything about leading men into battle. Leading two of Disney Castle's most accomplished court members is no mean feat since they can just as well take care of themselves. You've never been a leader in battle, much less a leader of so many men at your disposal." Sora glared at him with a very deep scowl on his face. "You act like I made all the decisions for my Order…I was merely allowed to approve them. There are ten generals, _ten_! Not one person who decides all things like a dictatorship but like a democracy where all ten generals decide on a course of action and all must follow it.

"Even had I wanted to take action against Maleficent I couldn't. Why? Because my other nine generals vetoed against it. When you've butted heads with members like Onyx and Cothius who you know are strong in their use of the Keyblade but choose to sit things out like cowards, then you can accuse me! But I wanted to fight…I really did but my Order vetoed it…so I spent years reasoning with myself that it was to give the time needed to train our younger members. I'm not happy about leaving the worlds to their undeserved fate…but I had no say in it…I couldn't storm the Castle That Never Was on my own." At last Edge quieted down from his rant and though Sora was still glaring at him, his features and softened and Kairi was looking at Edge with worry. He had turned away from them and so none of them saw the tears streaming down from his eyes.

"I need your allegiance Sora…if my Order, and indeed the entire galaxy's way of life, is to be preserved." Edge said, turning around, his tears suddenly vanished. Before Sora could answer however there was a sharp outcry. All three of the wielders quickly called their Keyblades to their hands and ran in the direction of the cry.

"Great prince give poor, starving, Gurgi munchings and crunchings! Nice apple! Good prince, good apple!" cried a slightly nasally voice and soon all three of the companions broke out into a slightly small clearing where they saw a young boy, perhaps about Sora's age when he had first received the Keyblade, struggling over a juicy red apple with a fairly furry hide that was continuously referring to himself in the third person as Gurgi. All of them dismissed their Keyblades.

"Hey! No you don't! I didn't give you that apple, you took it!" the boy yelled as he struggled for the apple. The creature bit down on the boy's finger and Sora decided that it was time to intervene with such a trivial affair.

"Hey, give the kid his apple back!" Sora yelled out as he approached them and the furry creature tried to dash away from the people he regarded as spiky and scary. However, Sora was a bit quicker on the uptake and managed to catch him and hold him with one hand while he struggled to break free. With his free hand, Sora demanded the apple back and Gurgi solemnly gave it to him and he meanwhile handed it to the boy.

"You horrible greedy thing!" The boy yelled with a slight amount of anger. "You should be ashamed of yourself!" The creature broke down and started to cry, complaining about his terrible misfortune.

"Hey, there's no need to be so angry with him. he might be a thief but that's all he is. I've known lots of good thieves in my lifetime." Sora said and the boy rubbed his eyes.

"I'm sorry…it's just…I'm searching for my pig Hen Wen and I don't know where to find her. She ran off and I promised Dallben that I'd look after her and if she…Oh, what's the use?!" the young boy said and he started to slouch off but Edge quickly ran around and blocked him.

"You know Dallben?!" Edge yelled, surprised at this little piece of information. Sora gave a look to Kairi and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, yes, he's my master." the boy said. "I'm Taran, Taran of Caer Dallben and Assistant Pig-Keeper." the boy, Taran told them.

"You said you were searching for a pig…might this be an oracular pig?" Edge asked with earnestness and Sora instantly knew that this conversation was starting to fly over his head.

"Uh…hello! What's an oracular pig?!" Sora asked and Edge glanced at him. He smiled a little at him, realizing he hadn't explained anything but before he could answer the creature named Gurgi began shouting out.

"Piggy? Round, fat piggy? Big snout!" Gurgi cried out and Taran whipped around to face him.

"Yes, that's her! That's Hen Wen!" Taran cried out but Gurgi began shuffling his feet.

"Uh…nope, Gurgi has not seen her." Gurgi said and Sora snorted.

"That's a lie if I ever saw one. Gurgi here knows where your pig is I'm sure of it." Sora said with a wicked little smile and Gurgi immediately began cowering in fear. "Keep that apple safe though. There's no telling what he'd do just to get it." Gurgi's eyes brightened up at the mention of the apple and suddenly he began bouncing about.

"Oh yes! Now Gurgi remembers! Yes, clever, sharp-eyes Gurgi remembers piggy running before…" Gurgi began and Taran leant in towards him.

"Yes, Gurgi, come on, what is it?!" Taran yelled and Gurgi suddenly had a shadow of fear pass over his face.

"Piggy was snatched by dragons and carried to castle of gnashings and thrashings." Gurgi mumbled, almost inaudibly but to Sora it seemed like a thunderclap. Here it was, the direction they needed. The pig, Hen Wen, which Taran was searching for had been carried off to the Horned King's castle and Sora could only hope that Taran was planning on going after him and could lead them there.

"I must get her out of there, then!" Taran yelled and he began to dash away but Gurgi grabbed onto him. "What do you want?! Let me go!"

"Gurgi want to be your friend. Don't go to wicked castle, master!" Gurgi yowled and complained but Taran merely shrugged him off.

"Why would you care?! All you care about is that apple!" Taran said, pulling the apple out of where he had placed it in his vest and tossing it to the sad form of Gurgi.

"But if Great Lord go into evil castle, poor Gurgi will never see friend again!" Gurgi complained but his complaints went unwarranted as Taran was already full steam ahead. Sora, Kairi and Edge decided to follow the boy as he was their only ticket into the Horned King's realm and castle. Edge was the first to take command of the situation.

"How exactly do you plan to break into the Horned King's castle, Taran?" Edge asked and suddenly Taran stopped. Sora took a look at the scenery and saw that it was changed and was now a bit more open than it had been before.

"I don't know…but you look like warriors, do you have an army?!" Taran asked excitedly as all three of them shook their heads. he sighed. "Oh, I thought…"

"But we can help you Taran of Caer Dallben. My name is Edge." He extended a hand towards Taran who took it graciously. Sora and Kairi then introduced themselves in turn. Sora could already tell what Edge was thinking, and though he didn't really like the man, he approved of the plan.

"We can use our weapons, the Keyblade, to unlock the gates into the Horned King's realm and somehow find a way to take him down." Sora said cheerfully, knowing that they had somehow faced worst than the Horned King. Taran looked at him worriedly.

"That's the thing…I don't know if there's a way. Dallben said that the Horned King was searching for something called the Black Cauldron and he needed Hen to find it. It's rumored that if he gets that…then he can cover all of Prydain in darkness." Taran said, the fear causing his voice to quaver a bit.

"Then we find that Black Cauldron and destroy it!" Sora said but before he could spit out another sentence Edge shushed all of them.

"We are being watched…" he said in a low whisper. Sora strained his ears for some kind of movement and soon heard a rustling in the trees above. All three of the Keyblade wielders went to form a circle around the defenseless Taran as well as summon their Keyblades when suddenly very large and very burly men dropped down and with one swift movement conked all four of them on the head. Sora barely managed to regain consciousness and the last thing he remembered before being dragged off into what he presumed would be oblivion was a harsh speech regarding taking the three of them to the Horned King. _Well, we're getting somewhere…at least…_ he thought, and then he passed out.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Okay, so I didn't do very much with Prydain this chapter but the next two chapters focus fully on that while Riku's being held captive. I hope you enjoyed that fight between the two of them and if any of you can guess as to what Gentai's plan is, then kudos to you though I doubt you'll be able to figure it out till Chapter 42. Also, as a note to Gentai, yes, he's repulsed by what he's doing but there is a much greater part of him that is reasoning out why he should do it. Yes, I changed the way things happened in the movie and the book for that matter but you know, what, Agrabah is my defense for that. Next chapter may be horrific though and will surely live up to my T rating but I won't say much more till tomorrow or Thursday when that chapter is posted. We're nearing the end…very soon. Let me know of what you think of Edge's reasoning, the history that I've added to, and drop me a review. Oh, and Dare to Be Silly.


	15. Chapter 39: The Highest Lieutenant

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, The Black Cauldron, or The Chronicles of Prydain so...yes...but I do own one harsh moment in this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 39

The Highest Lieutenant

"_I shall have my revenge on you yet."_

-Maleficent

"I have never been captured that fast!" Sora yelled when all of them seemed to regain consciousness at the same time, save for the form of Taran who was still recovering. "Okay, I was captured that fast a year ago with Terra and that whole deal but that doesn't count…so I haven't been captured that fast since Barbossa captured us on the _Interceptor_ eight years ago!" Kairi and Edge rolled their eyes, now fully aware of what Sora was saying and its inappropriateness in the entire situation. "You know, this is almost as embarrassing as…no, I think this is the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to me."

"What about that time that you nearly lost your pants at the school blitzball game?" Kairi chided groggily and Sora grimaced.

"That was Riku's fault anyway…" Edge cleared his throat to bring them back to the reality of their situation. They were still on the backs of the burly men, heading straight on a crash course towards Annuvin. In fact, they were now at the gates and were being carried inside. Next to Sora, Taran began to stir.

"What? Where are we?" Taran asked feebly, clearly unable to see his surroundings.

Sora turned his head toward him and took on a rather sarcastic tone.

"We're going for a joy ride on the back of these hench-people on our way to the Horned King's castle." Sora said with a flicker of a smile on his face. Taran began struggling upon hearing this peace of news until Edge told him to stop struggling…since it was futile after all.

When they entered the castle they could hear the sounds of joy and of feasting. Sora knew for some reason that they were approaching the din of all the noise and sure enough he saw a brightly lit room approaching them. Sora almost wanted to laugh. For all that he had seen of Prydain it had been pretty dark and bleak and this was the first bit of welcome that could even be seen…if they weren't prisoners. Sora heard a voice crying out in the hall that was just short of a cackle.

"Welcome Your Majesty, we're celebrating our success…I-I-I mean your success." the voice said and Sora could suddenly feel a chill settling over him and for Kairi it was just a little worse. "We have made no mistakes this time! We have captured the pig that gives visions and have heard we captured four travelers heading here." There was a pause and Sora figured whoever the voice was speaking to had made a gesture. "Bring in the prisoners!"

Sora felt all of their captors moving forward and his eyes were pierced by the burning torches in the brackets on the walls. He felt he could hear a squealing under the din of the hall and soon he felt himself being shoved to his knees. He brought himself to look up and for the first time cast his gaze upon the Horned King of Prydain. He was dressed in a red, slightly tattered robe and was wearing a mask with antlers protruding from it. Sora would have thought it comical were it not the air of darkness being exuded around him. The Horned King stood as he saw his newest visitors. But Taran didn't care for he had seen hen Wen at last.

"Hen Wen! Hen Wen!" Taran yelled and he broke free of his captors, striding over to Hen Wen. He was pushed back by one of the men in the hall. The Horned King shifted his attention from the Keyblade wielding trio.

"I presume, my boy, you are the keeper of this oracular pig?" the Horned King said with more malice and chill than Sora thought even Maleficent could muster.

"Y-y-y-y-y-yes sir!" Taran said, quaking in absolute fear. The Horned King nodded and sat back down onto his throne.

"Then instruct her to show me the whereabouts of the Black Cauldron!" the Horned King demanded and Taran began fidgeting, stammering out the exact reasons why he couldn't tell the Horned King, the number one reason being that he promised he wouldn't. "Very well, in that case, the pig is no use to me!": He lifted a gnarled finger of his and the cackling voice he had heard earlier started up again. Sora saw it came from a hunched over and almost comical looking creature. The creature, more accurately known as the Creeper, began moving onto Taran and Hen Wen in order to wrest the pig away from the boy. At last Taran gave in, unable to imagine what horrors would lie in store for his beloved pig.

"No! Stop! I'll make her tell you!" Taran yelled and the Horned King waved his hand again. The Creeper moved away, vaguely disappointed as Taran led Hen Wen over to a bowl of water. Edge leaned across Kairi and over to Sora.

"Now you'll see what an oracular pig is…" Edge said in as quiet a whisper as he could muster. Sora then watched as Taran dipped Hen Wen's snout into the water.

"Hen Wen from you I do beseech…" Taran began in a very melancholy tone, indicating he was regretting doing this. "Knowledge that lies beyond my reach…" Suddenly Sora saw images forming on the surface of the water. A black cauldron rose up and existed on the surface and the Horned King got out of his throne and began to walk towards the bowl.

"The Black Cauldron…so it does exist for sure!" the Horned King said, barely able to suppress whatever happiness he had at this new development. "Yes, where is it, show me! Show me!" Suddenly the visions faded as Taran stumbled backward in complete terror and knocked over the bowl. In anger the Horned King lunged at him but his assault stopped short as the water hit his eyes. He screamed in pain for a moment and Taran took that chance to escape. However, Sora knew the attempt was ill-fated and soon they heard the commotion of Taran screaming as he was dragged down into the dungeons of Annuvin below. However, he could judge from the conversation that Hen Wen, at least, had escaped, and the Horned King wasn't too happy about it. Of course, he figured his mood was bit milder due to his capture of them but that still remained to be seen…Sora snapped his look back to the Horned King who was now facing them. He sat down in his throne.

"Sora…we meet at last. I've heard so much about you from Maleficent." the Horned King said with near glee and Sora just gave him a smirk that clearly showed the Horned King he didn't find it funny at all. "And Kairi too…you've put more than a few thorns in Maleficent's side as well." His gaze at last shifted on to Edge. "And I don't know who you are…but if you're another one of those pestilential Keyblade wielders then you shall share my prisoners' fate."

"So what? Are you gonna kill us or something?" Sora said with a glare at the Horned King and he let out a wicked laugh.

"Oh no, Keyblade Master, I have something special reserved for you, courtesy of Maleficent. Take the other two to the cell with the boy." the Horned King ordered before he stared at the man behind Sora and issued a different order to him. "Take the Keyblade Master to the torture chamber." The man nodded and he picked Sora up with extraordinary strength. Sora didn't even bother to struggle; knowing it was all futile and found himself being carried away to what he believed would be his final moments.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Edge and Kairi were both led into the same cell as Taran who was sobbing and hitting the wall with a rock. Kairi ran over to comfort the poor boy while Edge listened to see if the Huntsman were gone. We heard their footsteps completely faded around the hallway he summoned his Keyblades.

"Let's get out of here!" He pointed his Keyblades at the door but nothing happened. No light shined forth and no door was unlocked. Edge looked at both of his Keyblades for a moment before recognition. "The Horned King must have set a spell on the doors and this entire cell so we can't use our Keyblades…but where did he learn such magic?" Edge mused thoughtfully but Kairi's words jerked him back to reality.

"But what about Sora! We need a way out to rescue him!" Kairi yelled and Edge nodded at this. He caught a glimpse of Taran crying until yet another moving object caught his eye. The _floor_ was moving. Without uttering a single word he stretched out his finger towards the part of the floor that was moving. Kairi turned to look at the floor and was just as surprised at what was happening. Very soon a girl popped out with a golden sphere floating alongside her. All of them were transfixed by the sphere and all but Edge were unable to notice that the girl was wearing a scullery maid dress and had red-gold hair. As soon as she caught sight of them there she instantly began to chatter.

"You're being held prisoner?" the girl asked and, with their eyes still fixed on the bauble, they nodded their heads. "I'm being held against my will too."

"It's lit up!" Taran blurted out without any real thought as to what he was saying and the girl gave a small girlish giggle.

"Well of course, it's magic!" the girl said in a near chiding voice. "Oh, I do hate this place! I hope there aren't any rats…not that I mind them you know, but they do jump at one so." Suddenly she seemed to register something in her fast moving mind. "I'm Princess Eilonwy. Are you lords or warriors?" Kairi and Edge looked at each other for a moment as Taran answered her question.

"Er, no, I-I'm an assistant pig-keeper." Taran said shamefacedly and Kairi got a coy smile on her face. They had just met and this boy was exhibiting all the symptoms of crushing on this girl.

"Oh, what a PITY. I was hoping for someone who could help me escape." Eilonwy pouted slightly and Edge decided it was his time to step forward.

"Well, we _could_ help if we just find a way to get out of here. But unfortunately the door is locked and we have no way out." Edge stated and Eilonwy looked at him curiously for a moment.

"Well, you could come with me if you'd like." Eilonwy said quickly and without further ado, slid back down into the hole in the ground. Taran followed soon after. Edge and Kairi gave one last look to each other and then dropped down into the hole as well. As they crawled along they began to hear Eilonwy and Taran making friendly, albeit strained, conversation. "Oh, that wicked, wicked, wicked king! He stole me you know. He wanted my bauble to tell him where some great big cauldron was."

"That's what he wanted my pig for!" Taran exclaimed and Eilonwy began to giggle.

"Oh, that's right! Your PIG!" Eilonwy clearly couldn't conceal her mirth very well.

"But my pig could tell the future." Taran argued back at the girl that he thought was vaguely annoying. Eilonwy just giggled and continued jabbering on, even as they emerged from their crawling and began to stand up. Edge quickly put a hand over her mouth.

"Quiet…you don't want to be captured again do you?" Edge said a little more harshly than he meant. Eilonwy glared at him for a moment and then Edge released her. She mumbled something along the lines of "How rude…like asking someone to talk and keep asking questions…" Kairi noticed Taran walking off down another hallway. Kairi motioned towards him and they followed as Eilonwy's bauble flew ahead of them, chasing after the many rats that littered the corridor. Soon they reached a slightly larger room and all the members of the party saw a tomb there.

Taran himself walked up to the tomb while Eilonwy went on, chattering happily about what this place could possibly be. Taran knelt down and looked at the king's tomb before he saw a sword sitting there with the king.

"A sword!" he announced and he reached down to pick it up. He dusted it off and a golden hilt was revealed. Eilonwy walked over to him and took the sword from his hands. "Hey, give it back!"

"_Dyrnwyn_, the sword's name is _Dyrnwyn_." Eilonwy said in a rather matter-of-fact tone. Taran reached out and quickly snatched the sword back from her.

"I'll take that back, thank you very much." Taran said and Eilonwy was now glaring at him before they both felt themselves being pushed down by Kairi and Edge.

"Quiet…we're not alone." Edge said in a hushed voice and they all peaked around the side of the tomb where they saw the creeper with a henchmen and a whole pile of skeletons in a cart. Eilonwy and Taran both looked repulsed at the sight of such carnage. Kairi, meanwhile, had grown quite used to such a sight after what had happened to Destiny Islands and Radiant Garden. The Creeper was talking as he instructed the Henchmen to move the cart down the corridor.

"This will please him! Piece of good luck this time! In with it! Hurry! Hurry! Don't stop you weakling!" The Creeper yelled as the henchmen sagged against the side of the cart. At the Creeper's words he began pushing the cart in more as the Creeper cackled madly. "Oh, just wait till he drops off the Keyblade master's body…oh what joy!" Kairi tried to struggle and move but Edge quickly restrained her from doing anything stupid. She struggled for a moment but Edge held her fast until the Creeper had at last left.

"They've got Sora! Let me go Edge!" Kairi screamed and raged, trying to hit Edge though he was behind her. Edge held on with even more of a grip.

"Relax Kairi, relax. He's not dead yet. You get Taran and Eilonwy out of here!" Edge demanded, his eyes reflecting a true authority within them. "I'll take care of Sora…just promise me that you'll get them out." Kairi looked into Edge's eyes for a moment and suddenly all the tension that was bottled up in her heart melted away. She nodded her head, knowing there was no other option. The two shook hands and Edge headed off first heading left at a fork. When the trio soon reached that same spot…they headed right.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sora grunted in pain as he slammed against a row of spikes that cut into his back with such a ferocity that made him want to scream…but he resisted. He wouldn't give Maleficent the satisfaction of backing out now. Suddenly he felt his body being lifted again as Maleficent's magic whipped him around the room, slamming into the various objects. He would always remember with perfect clarity how this had all started. He had been brought, here, to the torture room and then the Horned King had called Maleficent who immediately began swinging Sora around in her effort to break him. By now he was already bloodied and bruised, nothing but a black and blue pulp…but he wasn't giving in.

"I told you that I would have my revenge on you!" Maleficent screeched and she whipped her staff again which sent Sora flying into a wall. She then shoved the glowing orb of her staff at Sora and Sora felt an invisible force sending white hot pain like needles in every part of his body. In fact, it almost seemed as if that was happening as blood began trickling from some places. Sora gave a sharp gasp, unable to retain his composure this time. Maleficent released her spell and Sora fell to the floor on his back. He heard the snicker of the Horned King in the distance who was watching the torture session from afar. "Now you shall know the pain of death!" That comment nearly cracked Sora and he began to laugh a weak chuckle that caused blood to come from his mouth. "You find death a laughing matter?"

"You just…don't get it do you Maleficent?" Sora laughed out. "Only for people like you…people of the dark does death hold fear." Sora looked the pallid witch straight in the eye. "Do you really think my place to die is at your hands? I've passed though death before and it was glorious…I actually wouldn't mind it."

"Then allow me to give you what you want!" Maleficent screamed in rage and she raised her staff above Sora's unmoving body, the wooden point above his chest. Sora closed his eyes, waiting for the final blow on his life to come. But it never did for the doors suddenly slammed open.

"Sire! The pig-boy's escaped!" a gruff voice said and Sora figured that it was a henchmen. He felt Maleficent turn away from him.

"Pig-boy?" Maleficent asked curiously and though none could tell the Horned King's emotions, all could sense that he was angry.

"He was with the other Keyblade wielders…" The Horned King stood up from where he was sitting and Sora almost found himself praying that all of them would leave and give him a chance to escape. "Send the Creeper to my chambers, I'll deal with his failure."

"And I shall deal with these escapees myself." Maleficent said in a smug voice and Sora found himself hoping that the others, now that they had escaped, would not get caught. The Horned King was quick to question whether or not Maleficent would be able to find them in his winding castle. "If I do not…we will have a much more serious problem on our hands…" Then Sora felt the heat of Maleficent's green flames and she was gone. he also sensed the Horned King leave the room as the door closed and the Henchman also left. Sora's eyes snapped open. He had to move…had to find some way to escape. But his body wasn't answering. The doors opened again and Sora felt that now his doom was coming.

But the first thing he saw was Edge.

"Edge…?" Sora asked groggily and Edge knelt down over him, looking fearfully at the wounds that had been inflicted upon Sora.

"Can you stand Sora?" was the first question he asked and Sora quickly shot him a look that asked sarcastically "What do you think?!" Edge nodded and he quickly grabbed Sora in his arms. "Healing wounds is beyond my skill, much to my chagrin…we'll need to get you out of here. I doubt magic would have any real effect so long as we reside in Annuvin." Edge quickly hoisted Sora onto his shoulders as Sora let out a hacking cough which spewed blood onto the floor. With that Edge set off at a trot through the castle. He had a mental map in his head that allowed him to find his way through to the entrance. He only hoped that Kairi had gotten the others out. Sora hacked more. "Come on Sora, hold it together now…you've made it this far!"

Sora found himself losing consciousness and soon he found himself outside. The sunlight was bleak and almost nonexistent here but Sora felt some small bit of strength returning. There was the sound of clamor but Sora couldn't see a thing as his eyes were sliding in and out of focus. Sora heard Edge summon one of his Keyblades into his hands and heard the cry of "Blitz!" There seemed to be a rush of lightning and soon, the men who had appeared to be surrounding Edge were vanquished but Sora felt a greater rush, and a greater power throughout the castle. Then he heard Kairi's voice.

"I don't care how fast you want to get out Fflewddur! I'm not leaving Sora and Edge in there!" Kairi yelled before yet another familiar voice rang out.

"There they are!" Taran yelled and Edge motioned to them, soon running past them. Kairi nodded at Taran and Taran swung the sword that he had picked up earlier. It cut the chain upon contact and Taran quickly fled as the gate closed behind them. Kairi ran up to Edge and nearly cried out upon seeing Sora's limp form. Even Eilonwy was so shocked that she wasn't saying anything.

"Is he…?" Kairi asked. Edge shook his head before quickly instructing them all to move away from Annuvin and into the forest. When at last they were there and the sunlight was now streaming down on them, they stopped to take a breather. Kairi immediately set to work on Sora's wounds while Edge leaned against a tree trunk. Then he caught sight of a man dressed in red and white with a cap on top and he was holding a harp.

"Who's this?" Edge asked. Kairi turned to answer him but the man beat her to the punch.

"I am Fflewddur Fflam, most renowned bard in all of Prydain." Suddenly one of the strings on his heart snapped and Edge arched an eyebrow at the occurrence. "Well…I'm actually just a bard…and I'm not even really that, I never passed the test." Edge gave a small chuckled and he went to close his eyes but soon the voices of Taran and Eilonwy reached him…again.

"You could admit to being a bit frightened Taran of Caer Dallben!" Eilonwy protested.

"I wasn't afraid!" Taran yelled, seemingly ready to lose his temper at being called a coward.

"Not afraid?! Why, we were running for our lives!" Eilonwy persisted but Taran merely turned his back on her.

"Well, Kairi and I got us out of the castle, didn't we?" Taran suggested and Eilonwy scoffed at the mention.

"You?! I'd say it was mostly Kairi, and if not her, then it was the sword's magic." Eilonwy said in a very snooty tone that caused Taran to look incredulously at her.

"But it takes a great warrior to handle a sword like this!" Taran said.

"And so does it take a great one to wield a Keyblade." Edge interjected with a small smile on his face, causing the both of them to look at him. "But wielding a powerful weapon does not necessarily make you great…I learned that the hard way when I first got mine."

"See…it is still a magic sword!" Eilonwy said with a tone of finality.

"Oh, what do you know of swords, you're just a GIRL!!!" Taran argued.

"GIRL?!! This GIRL got you out of the Horned King's dungeon if I might add!" Eilonwy screamed back at Taran.

"Now, now, Princess Eilonwy…" Fflewddur began to say but Eilonwy cut across him.

"How dare you take his side!!?" Eilonwy screeched.

"Well, I-I-I didn't mean to interfere or…" Fflewddur said quickly in his defense and Edge was trying very hard not to lose his temper and shout at them.

"Silly girl! Even if she is a princess!" Taran yelled and suddenly Eilonwy froze and began to suddenly cry. Edge let out a great sigh and turned away. It was best to leave teenagers to solve their own love lives. "Oh…I-I'm sorry Eilonwy I just…"

"It's okay Taran…we're going to have to work together anyway. I'm sure we'll find your pig…" Taran smiled sheepishly at the princess.

"Th-thank you for rescuing me from the dungeon." Taran said and Eilonwy smiled back at him genuinely.

"Well, we couldn't have done it without your help." Eilonwy insisted and Edge smiled to himself, glad that he wasn't going to have to intervene. Suddenly there was a great outcry.

"Great Belin!" Fflewddur yelled and Edge suddenly summoned his Keyblades and ran over to where Fflewddur had ambled off only to find nothing but Gurgi climbing all over Fflewddur, looking for "munchings and crunchings".

"Oh, this! Gurgi want this!" Gurgi screamed, tugging at the harp around Fflewddur's neck.

"Take it! I'm sure you've murdered for less!" Fflewddur cried and Edge let out a laugh, long and loud that he felt he hadn't made in years. "Oh, looking at my misfortune are you?!" Taran and Eilonwy quickly ran up beside Edge.

"Gurgi! Get off him!" Taran said and Gurgi quickly obeyed, making excuses to his "master" as to what he was doing there.

"Well, who is your pungent little friend?" Fflewddur asked.

"I wouldn't exactly call him a friend…." came Sora's voice from behind them and they saw him standing there although he was leaning against Kairi for support. "What are you doing here anyway, Gurgi?!"

"Gurgi remembers! Gurgi saw fresh piggy tracks today!!" Gurgi yelled out and Taran suddenly gave a start.

"Today?! You're sure?!" Gurgi nodded and he pointed to some ways in the distance where Edge was actually able to discern what looked like fresh pig tracks. Edge nodded, assuring him that Gurgi was not lying. "Then let's go!"

"Not a chance." Edge said quickly and they all looked at him, Sora included. "Look, I want to find Hen Wen and save her from the Horned King's wrath and I also want to find this Black Cauldron and destroy it if it means so much to the Horned King. But we're all tired and Sora's still not a full strength left."

"I can go on. I'll be fine." As soon as he said this however he began to double over with a fit of coughing. Edge looked at him and he grinned before nodding. Thus it was that their whole group made camp in the forest. They ate, and chat and the three Keyblade wielders told stories of their adventures, though taran told Sora and Edge how they had escaped from Annuvin. As the sun finally set below the horizon, only Edge and Sora remained awake, watching the fire with peculiar interest.

"Hey Edge I-" Sora began to say and Edge looked at him slowly. "Thanks for rescuing me today. I know we've butted heads but…that was strong of you…" Sora hung his head a bit before looking at Edge and smiling. Edge nodded solemnly.

"You too Sora…you're made of a lot sterner stuff than I expected. We'd make a great team, you and me…your strength, my leadership…" Edge said with a smile and Sora genuinely returned the grin back to him.

"Are you trying to recruit me?" Sora asked accusingly and Edge waved his hands in front of his face and they both laughed jubilantly. Sora soon held out his hand to Edge. "Friends, then?" Edge nodded and took the hand. Then the both of them decided to sleep for the night but keeping enough awake in order to keep watch.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Horned King was filled with a mixture of feelings. On the one hand, he was angry that the Keyblade master had managed to escape…and yet, if they were with the pig boy it would most surely lead them to the oracular pig and thus…the Black Cauldron. That was all the chance they needed. But Maleficent was angry; she didn't dare seek them outside of the Horned King's realm for the fear that their power might still be greater than her own.

"They escaped…and that only means they can find a means to thwart you and I." Maleficent yelled as the Horned King sat in his throne.

"Don't worry Maleficent, we'll find them?" the Horned King said with confidence. "We captured them once before and we will capture them now."

"They will not fall for the same trick twice…and your men are considerably less." Maleficent said with a scowl and the Horned King gave a chilled chuckle.

"The Huntsmen of Annuvin are not easily felled. When one dies, the others grow much stronger. I lost many warriors today meaning that those who are left are near invincible…and the Keyblade master is still on the recovery. We'll find them easily. Head back to your castle and leave matters in Prydain to me." Maleficent nodded.

"Beware your arrogance or the darkness will consume you." Maleficent told him before she vanished. The Horned King laughed.

"Oh…don't worry about that, Maleficent. The darkness shall never consume me." He leaned back in his throne. There was no doubt the Keyblade master's zeal for doing good would lead him to wanting to destroy the cauldron. He would let the boy get the cauldron…and when he obtained it…the worlds would be his, not Maleficent's, to control for all time.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Oooh…chilling ending…and one that will affect many things to come. So that was my first full Prydain chapter and the next will be the last but due to it being so extensive it probably won't come till Friday depending on my use of the computer. I don't want to push back my completion date but I may have to. Yes, I had to torture Sora but it needed to be so and so both Edge and Sora have each other's respect. Yay! Either way, the final (and semi-anti-climactic) battle against the last member of the Hellfire Club is next chapter so look forward to it…and if you've seen the movie or read the book you know what will happen but who will it be that makes the choice? Until then, drop me a review and Dare to Be Silly.

**P.S. By the way, if you didn't know…in the two chapters before this, both Kairi and Riku's visions from **_**Lineage**_** have ended up coming true.**


	16. Chapter 40: The One Who Holds the Keys

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own, nor will ever own, anything related to the content of Kingdom Hearts, The Chronicles of Prydain, or the Black Cauldron even if I wished I did in my entire lifetime...**

* * *

Chapter 40

The One Who Holds the Keys

"_At last. The Keyblade's chosen one."_

-DiZ

In the early morning, before even the sun was up they set off so that they could get a head start on tracking down Hen Wen and therefore save her from the Horned King's wrath. Gurgi, being the one who saw the footsteps in the first place, took off in the lead, gradually goading Taran into being behind him since Taran was Gurgi's new master after all. Not that Taran minded, Gurgi had begun to prove himself trustworthy and Taran was really quite eager to find Hen Wen and get a move on. Eilonwy, naturally, joined the two of them up at the front and began her usual chattering which, to Kairi's own amusement, Taran was beginning to find rather pleasing.

Thus it was that Kairi joined the three of them up at front to keep things in order up there as well as to give the more inexperienced members of their band some protection were an attack to come from the front. Fflewddur fell in behind them, occasionally breaking out into songs that the three Keyblade wielders had never heard of and thus ignored, not that Fflewddur even noticed. Sora and Edge, meanwhile took up the rearguard to scout for what was perhaps coming at them from behind as well as to get to know each other better as friends rather than their previous position. It had already turned out that Edge knew most of Sora's story from the king as well as Donald and Goofy, and that included up until the point that Treasure Planet had exploded. But Sora was more interested in Edge's tale.

"My father…was always ambitious." Edge admitted and it almost seemed to Sora as though Edge was ashamed of his father. "When he got the Keyblade he was soon recruited into the Round of the Crown…He was one of the men that stayed loyal to the Chasers when everyone was picking sides in the war between light and darkness. His skill was so great that he made it to be one of the original ten generals.

"He fell in love with another general, Maria. A year later, I was born but Maria, wanting to keep me safe, hid me away in the world we call Traverse Town. Many of the generals were angered by her departure and even angrier that she was hiding me from her. My father, brave as he was, wanted her to come back. When she refused, it led to a fight and he struck her down. His life changed after that…and so did the Round. Soon a full attack was launched on that old order and my father, was the last to remain alive in the library, or so I was told by Aqua who, in her search to vanquish Xehanort's evil, found me. She took me on as a learning apprentice as I gained my own Keyblade, Latent Rage. I always found it…funny…that seemed to perfectly describe who I was. Two years after that, I departed from Aqua, having learned all I could.

"I traveled the worlds, wanting to see them for myself and soon I met a friend, the only one I had in my life. Donald 'Onyx' Ardintous. We became fast friends and learned our own ways of the Keyblade. That was how it was for years…after the old order fell we dared not show ourselves in public and remained out of the public eye. Then our ears caught whispers of your deeds and we decided to see for ourselves. Once more we traveled out into the worlds and bit by bit we picked up more Keyblade wielders. But we were moving too slowly for a few months after we began, we heard of the mysterious ship holding Terra and his crew, going around and picking up those who wielded the Keyblade. We formed the ten generals to at least pay homage to the old order and thus I was named commandant for having some of the most skill and then…well…you know what happened."

"You hid?" Sora asked and Edge nodded.

"Not a decision I cared for, but if we had tried to oppose Terra openly…well…regardless, in silence we gathered more Keyblade wielders and trained. At last, when the time came I wanted to go back out into the worlds and stop Maleficent, who I had now begun to hear whispers of. But Onyx had changed…he seemed more angry and suddenly the two of us began butting heads. I appealed to his sister, another member of the Order, to let him come to his senses…I only surmised that it failed. About a year ago, when word of Terra's fall had reached our ears I was at last able to convince them to leave Castle Oblivion and begin, at least, securing the worlds. It was only when we heard about the destruction of Pelusa did the Order realize it: the time to act was now."

"Sounds harsh man…any idea why Onyx didn't trust you anymore?" Sora asked concernedly.

"The only answer I have for that is…like so many others, they were too afraid for their own skin." Edge said while shaking his head. Sora nodded his head in understanding, now having created a new picture of Edge. Edhe turned his head behind them, something he often would do as they walked and suddenly his body tensed up. Sora saw it and he also looked behind. Five figures that looked similar to those they had seen in Annuvin were approaching. "Crap!" Sora nodded and they ran to the front of the line, taking Fflewddur with them.

"We have to find somewhere to hide." Edge said quickly and all of them looked at him confusedly save for Kairi. Sora pointed to a small patch of forest they were approaching.

"If we can make it in there, we might be able to slip past them unnoticed." Sora commanded and without another word, Edge began ushering them all towards the forest. After about five minutes they were safely inside. Sora, Edge, and Kairi peered out from the underbrush to see how close the men were gaining on them. The judged that it would still take them some time to get down there so all they would have to do was sit and wait. Then Gurgi gave a cry.

"Look master, Gurgi sees fresh piggy tracks!!" Gurgi yelled out and they all whipped around, seeing indeed, another set of Hen Wen's tracks, leading toward a pond with five stepping stones in the middle of it. Gurgi started over the stones first but when he reached the middle stone, everything suddenly started to change. The other four stones disappeared and a great whirlpool began dragging the fifth stone down below.

"Gurgi!" Taran yelled and he reached out for Gurgi, grabbing his hand. However, the force of the whirlpool was too strong and began pulling Taran down too.

"Oh! Taran! Give me your hand!" Eilonwy screamed and she reached out for Taran only to be pulled in herself, followed by a very unwilling Fflewddur.

"We're doomed!" Fflewddur yelled in fear and Edge rolled his eyes, striding forward and grabbing the bard's arm.

"Shut up, you spoony bard!" Edge yelled but the force soon proved too much for even him to handle and he was pulled in. Sora shook his head. Without even so much as a glance at Kairi, he jumped into the spiraling whirlpool. Kairi sighed and thought to herself, _There he goes again…_ And so she naturally jumped in after him. It was a few minutes before any of the members were at last able to sit up. When they finally did they were able to see that they had emerged into some kind of underground realm. The next thing Sora saw almost made him think that his eyes were tricked. A blue fairy like thing floated in with another yellow one behind him.

"It's PERFECT!!!" The yellow one yelled, indicating that something somewhere was perfect. It was quite obvious that the two of them had not yet seen the party sitting there…that is, until Eilonwy opened her mouth.

"Well, aren't you just darling?" Wilonwy said and suddenly the two quarreling fairies took notice of them.

"Oh, uh, hello, I'm King Eidilleg of the Fair Folk and this…" the blue fairy, or Fair Folk, as Sora presumed they wished to be called, said to them. But the yellow one cut across him even as Eidilleg began to introduce him.

"How in the blazes did they get in here?! I fixed the whirlpool perfectly!" the yellow one roared loudly, well, as loudly as one of his size could really yell.

"Evidently not completely perfect…it's supposed to keep them OUT!!" Eidilleg roared to the yellow fair Folk before he turned back to the group that was staring bemusedly at the bickering pair. "How can I help you?"

"Is everything that happens around here MY fault?!" the yellow one sorted out but Eidilleg ignored this comment.

"Have you come here on a friendly visit?"

"And I suppose it's my fault the pig's here too?!" Suddenly Taran gave a start and shot straight up, standing up comparative to all of them.

"Hen Wen!!!" Taran yelled joyfully and Eidilleg gave a small yet joyful chuckle.

"Oh, so she's your pig…Doli, go get the pig." Eidilleg ordered of the yellow Fair Folk.

"PIG?!" Doli cried loudly, almost angry or indignant at the situation. "It's good old Doli for everything isn't it?!" Suddenly, many more bright specks of light appeared and Sora almost felt he was blinded until he realized that it was a great number of Fair Folk that were swarming around them. Then they all heard a large squeal and Hen Wen suddenly came running out of nowhere and bounded into Taran's arms, who was overjoyed beyond relief to see her at last. Suddenly Eidilleg turned to Sora, Kairi, Edge and Fflewddur who were the only ones not sharing in Taran's reunion with Hen Wen as Eilonwy and Gurgi were.

"Tell me, is the burning and the killing STILL going on up there?!" Eidilleg asked and Fflewddur was the first to answer, knowing more about the world of Prydain than even the Keyblade wielders could pretend to.

"You're referring to that joke on humanity, the Horned King!!" Fflewddur yelled and Sora could almost sense the fear in the bard's shaky voice.

"Will the Sons of Don do nothing up there like they did last time?!" Eidilleg yelled and Sora looked at him confusedly for a moment before putting his thoughts into words.

"Sons of Don?" Sora asked but Edge was, surprisingly, the first to answer.

"From what I know, back when the Horned King became so powerful before, the Sons of Don appeared out of the Summer Country and pushed him back to the realms of Annuvin…he lay there, dormant for years. Seems he's gotten quite a bit more courageous lately." Edge said and Sora figured he had learned it from that Dallben guy.

"Well, no one ever stands up to him now do they?!!" Eidilleg yelled out and Fflewddur cocked his head a bit to acknowledge the Fair Folk king's statement.

"Well, there's only one thing we can really do isn't there…to stop him, I mean." Sora said and Kairi nodded.

"Destroy the Black Cauldron." she acknowledged and the chill of fear spread through the native residents of Prydain.

"But if the Horned King finds it…he'll kill us all!" Taran said in utmost fear and Sora shrugged his shoulders as if to say, "Then we make sure he _doesn't_ get it!" But Eidilleg chuckled at this.

"Oh no…he won't get the cauldron, it's safely hidden in Morva…" the king paused for a moment and began to think. "At least…I think it is. Doli, is it?"

"What is that my job now too?" Doli snorted out. "Remembering where the cauldron is?!!"

"Come on guys, it may be our only chance. You're with us Taran, right?" Sora said cheerfully and Taran nodded.

"Wherever master goes, Gurgi goes!" Gurgi proclaimed boldly and Taran made assertions that he was glad to have him along. Eilonwy however was a bit fidgety when it came to this.

"Oh, Taran, this just doesn't seem right…It's like digging for gold and fining nothing but worms." Eilonwy said, slightly sad. Taran took a hold of her hands and looked into her eyes while Sora, Kairi, and Edge all snickered in the background.

"Please, come with me?" At last, Elonwy agreed, which brought a great smile to Taran's face. Edge turned to Fflewddur with a smirk on his face.

"What about you, you spoony bard?" Edge asked and Fflewddur quickly stood up.

"A Fflam is always courageous!" Fflewddur yelled and Edge also stood up, dusting off his white clothing.

"Well, glad to see you're with the program…now how do we get to Morva?" Edge said authoritatively, turning to King Eidilleg. Eidilleg smiled at them.

"Why…Morva's a hard place to get to…I think I'll have Doli take you." Eidilleg said proudly and immediately Fflewddur began mumbling under his breath. Doli soon accosted him for this and all they heard Fflewddur saying was "No…no…splendid choice in fact!" which was soon followed by a twanging noise as one of his harp strings broke. He chuckled nervously and hid his harp away. "Well then, are we ready?" He snapped his fingers and suddenly all of them found themselves floating upward. "We'll get your pig home safely, for now. Good luck."

And the next thing they knew was that they were up above the surface staring at the same forest which they had just left. Doli suddenly floated in front of them and without further ado, began aiming them towards Morva, which he said was a two days walk ahead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Horned King sat in his chamber, desperately awaiting word on the pig-boy, the Keyblade master, or the Black Cauldron. He was concerned that his plans might go astray…even amidst such careful planning and pacts that he had made with so many people. He sat back in his throne and nearly chuckled to himself. How weak the hearts of men were that they were so carelessly consumed by the darkness…and yet he had lived in it, reveled in it and had not yet been destroyed by it. Unlike that fool, Maleficent, who had been defeated by the Keyblade master and his pointless friends when he was only fourteen. He was stronger than she was…even the Sons of Don no longer held any power against him in Prydain. He was the strongest being in the universe. And once he had the Black Cauldron, nothing could stop him. Suddenly the doors opened and the Creeper walked in.

"Is there any news?" the Horned King asked, his temper starting to slightly wear thin at the moment. The Creeper, however, seemed more excited than normal and so the Horned King figured that it would be good news.

"Yes, sire, the pig-boy and Keyblade master make for the Marshes of Morva." the Creeper announced happily. The Horned King raised a hand and almost stroked the chin of his mask, thinking. Why would they be going towards Morva? And then the answer hit him: the Black Cauldron.

"Send the Huntsman and the Gwythaints, all of them, to capture them and bring any property in their possession to me." the Horned King commanded and the Creeper bowed and left the room.

Soon, the worlds would be his to control.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After two days of traveling through woods, plains, and rivers, all of the party at last found themselves in the festering Marshes of Morva. It looked pretty grim to all of them to and none of them even seemed to want to stand in the place, much less traverse through it. Even Doli, who sounded grim and grumpy enough, had announced their entrance there in an even more grim tone than he had procured before. Regardless of all this, Sora and Taran led the way through the swamps. At last they stumbled upon an abandoned cottage which Taran looked at rather curiously.

"Welcome to Morva." Doli announced again and Taran turned to him with arched eyebrows.

"Well, someone must live in that cottage." Taran announced and he led them inside the cottage. The cottage was cluttered with a great number of things that made it difficult to find absolutely anything in the entire room.

"How will we ever find the cauldron in a place like this?" Eilonwy sighed, already weary from the traveling without rest. Sora looked around and began looking in drawers and cabinets and eventually found a locked chest. He summoned the Oblivion Keyblade and unlocked the chest and suddenly a bunch of frogs came soaring out of it. Eilonwy screamed and held on to Taran tightly. She then realized what she was doing and let go of him, blushing madly.

"They're only frogs, Eilonwy." Taran said, his own blush forming in his cheeks.

"Oh no…" Doli announced. "Those were people that were turned into frogs…" They all looked at him and even the Keybearers' eyes showed fear. Then a harsh voice cut through the air suddenly and they all stopped.

"Thieves! Thieves!" yelled the voice and suddenly there was a large burst of light and suddenly three women appeared…or to Sora they seemed much more like hags. "They stole all our frogs! Let's make them replacements!"

"Oh, not this one." came a voice from one of the women who seemed to have moved over to Fflewddur and was stroking his chin. He himself was trying to get away. "Oh, is anyone here able to perform marriages?"

"M-marriages?!" Fflewddur looked absolutely mortified and horrified and was trying to struggle away even now. "Great Belin!"

"Well, don't you just find me irresistible?" the woman asked and Fflewddur gulped in his throat.

"Oh yes…quite so…" Fflewddur answered shakily and another harp string broke. "Quiet you!"

"Stop this Orwen and hand him over." said the ugliest of the three women, the first one that had spoken.

"No Orgoch, he's too handsome to be turned into a frog!" said Orwen and Orgoch just began to grumble.

"Oh, you mustn't mind them, Orgoch is always grumbling about one thing or another." said the woman who seemed to be the leader. "Now, duckling, what have you come here for?"

"We've come for the Black Cauldron!!" Taran announced boldly. All three of the women stopped in their actions to look at Taran.

"Why, Orddu…no one has asked for the Black Cauldron in over two thousand years…and…ooh…" Orwen quickly sidled up to the leader and pointed at Taran. The woman's eyes widened and she nodded her head they then moved off. Everyone tried to catch what they were saying but it seemed that every time they got near, a horrible ringing noise filled their ear. At last the witches as they all decided that's what they were, broke apart.

"We have decided, you shall have the Black Cauldron." Orddu said to them with a smug smile on her face and Eilonwy seemed rather pleased.

"You'll just give it to us?" Eilonwy asked. Orddu then chuckled a bit and shook her head.

"No, you weren't listening…we never give things away duckling. We bargain, trade!" Orddu announced proudly but then her head suddenly shifted in Sora's direction and she walked up to him. She scrutinized him for a moment before turning back to her sisters and nodding. She waved her hand in front of Sora and suddenly his Oblivion Keyblade appeared. "Just as I thought…you're the Keyblade master?"

"But how did you…" Sora began and soon his eyes fell upon the one, new item that Orddu was holding out. It was a gold Keychain that at the end held a golden crown. "A Keychain!!"

"Yes, duckling, and it's yours if you want it." Orddu said but Sora eyed her warily.

"What's the catch on this whole situation?" Sora said but Orddu said nothing. He knew he would have to trade something…but he couldn't give up the Keyblade since that would make the Keychain useless…but maybe…He lifted his hand to his crown pendant and felt it. It was the only thing that belonged to him right now. His home had probably been destroyed on Destiny Islands and so all he had was what was on him, and the paopu fruit still in his pocket wasn't part of that deal. "You want…this?"

"If you don't want the Keychain then we won't force you." Orddu said with a shrug and Sora closed his eyes. Somehow, he felt drawn to that Keychain, as though he needed to have it. As though it was his destiny to have it. He looked at Kairi who had a small amount of sadness in her eyes but nodded, as though telling him to do whatever he needed to do. He reached behind his neck and took off the pendant. He then dropped it into Orddu's hands and she similarly gave him the Keychain which he stuck in his pocket. Sora felt different automatically, not sad, but rather as though a part of him was gone but which might be replaced by the golden Keychain he now held. "Now, back to business about the Black Cauldron?"

"May I ask you ladies to perhaps consider this magnificent harp?" Fflewddur said, offering his harp to the three witches. Orddu immediately waved it off, but not without giving an explanation.

"A harp?! When we want music we send for the birds. What would we do with a simple harp?" Orddu exclaimed before Gurgi began to offer his munchings and crunchings. Of course, naturally, they passed off on that too. But Taran had realized what needed to be done.

"All right already, I know what you want." Taran said. Orddu quickly sidled up to him with a bright grin on her face. Taran stared at her and took out _Dyrnwyn_. "Here is my sword, take it!" They all looked at Taran in shock. Edge himself remembered how much Taran had praised the blade when he had first gotten it.

"No, Taran, no!" Eilonwy cried. "It's so unfair of them. It's like asking if someone wants fruit and giving them vegetables!" Eilonwy pouted on and Sora, Kairi, and Edge merely stared at her for a moment.

"It's our only chance!" Taran insisted, though inside he had not wanted to give the blade up. Orddu sensed this and began to sympathize with him…slightly.

"This is your own choice, duckling. Remember, this sword could make you the greatest of warriors…greater than even Gwydion, Prince of Don." Orddu said but she already knew, as did they all, that Taran's mind was made up on this matter. He would rather trade the sword for the Black Cauldron and save thousands of lives with that one action than he could by wielding _Dyrnwyn_. Taran handed the sword to Orddu. She snatched it up instantly and smiled. "We have a bargain!!"

Suddenly a gale began to cut through the cottage and all of the cabinets and chests, and then the cauldrons began flying up in the sky. Sora quickly made his way over to the door and forced it open and ushered everybody outside, Edge being the last to leave. Even there, the gale was still quite strong though Fflewddur's voice seemed stronger as they could still hear his cry of "Great Belin!" over the wind. Then the cottage had vanished all of a sudden and a great rumbling was felt in the ground. They all stepped back from the sight of where the cottage was and soon the great Black Crochan emerged from the ground and stood before them. Sora felt that he could almost sense the darkness around it. He walked towards it, slightly marveled at its detail before Orddu's voice rang out again.

"I say, what funny little ducklings you are! Don't you know that the Cauldron is indestructible?!" Sora took a step back and stared at the Black Cauldron in slight anger with the witches who had duped them. "Now listen carefully, it's true that the Black Cauldron can never be destroyed…only its evil powers can be stopped."

"Then there is a way?!" Taran cried out in slight joy at this mention, thinking there might be hope after all. "But how?!"

"A living being must climb into it of his own free will." Orddu said and suddenly Gurgi began hurrying towards the intricate cauldron.

"Gurgi is bold and brave! He will enter into the wicked cauldron!" Gurgi began to climb into the cauldron when once more a voice cried out and dropped the bombshell.

"But the poor duckling will never come out alive." Gurgi froze and clambered back down from where he was standing mumbling that he didn't want to enter the nasty cauldron.

"Now look here madam!" Fflewddur said, getting some courage into his spindly self. "We had an agreement, you promised you'd give us the Black Cauldron."

"And so we did…it's not our fault you can't do anything with it." And suddenly her voice ceased to speak and they knew that she had gone for sure.

"See, this is what happens when you deal with humans! Good bye!" Doli yelled out and he popped invisible and disappeared. Taran hung his head low.

"Doli's right…This is all my fault. I failed, I'm sorry." Taran said in a very melancholy tone.

"Oh shut it Taran." Sora said and Taran glared at him. "Stop moping around or you'll start sounding like-" Sora stopped. He had been about to say "like Gentai" but something stopped him from mentioning the sixteen year old's name. Instead he shook his head and walked up to the Cauldron. He felt the keychain now resting in his pocket clinking against him as he examined the cauldron. It almost seemed as though it was made of evil somehow. "So one of us has to climb in here?"

"The ultimate sacrifice…" Kairi said, some tears beginning to well in her eyes at the thought of losing any one of them.

"Somehow…I don't think any of us is willing to sacrifice ourselves." Edge said with sympathy to everyone in the group.

"I should do it…this is all my fault anyway." Taran said in a very depressed tone. "I'm just a lowly Assistant Pig-Keeper…why should I have ever hoped to be anybody but that." Sora groaned but before Sora could scold him out again, Eilonwy beat him to the punch.

"Look, you are somebody! You're Taran of Caer Dallben, the greatest assistant Pig-keeper in Prydain!" Eilonwy declared with a bright smile on her face. "You just have to believe in yourself Taran of Caer Dallben." Then she added, much more quietly, and almost to her embarrassment. "I believe in you."

"You-you do?" Taran quickly took Eilonwy's hands in his own. "And I think that you're…well…" Taran was fumbling with words and both Sora and Kairi started laughing up a storm. He glared at them for a moment and then, much to both the parties' displeasure, he released their hands.

"Anyway…" Sora began to say. He heaved a great sigh. "I'll jump into the Cauldron."

"No, Sora you can't!" Kairi immediately protested as he knew she would…as she always had.

"Kairi, I've done self-sacrifice enough to be an expert at it and come out alive…somehow…but even if this is my last bang, you know that I've always loved you." Sora said, staring straight into her eyes and she believed him…but she still didn't want to let him go.

"Kairi's right, Sora." Edge said. "You're the Keyblade master and are worth more to these worlds than anyone of us. You're not jumping in that Cauldron." Sora rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Geez, you try to sacrifice yourself and everyone gets on your back about it." Sora heaved another sigh. "So then…what now?" Suddenly a great cry pierced through the sky and they all looked up. Dragon-like creatures were circling around and Sora instantly felt himself summon his Keyblade as Kairi and Edge did the same.

"Gwythaints! The Horned King's cruel airborne servants!" Eilonwy said and Gurgi began to howl in fright when suddenly the Huntsmen of Annuvin surrounded them.

"And his henchmen." Sora said with a grimace on his face.

"Or huntsmen…" Edge proffered and Kairi gave a very visible shiver.

"I've had enough of 'huntsmen' to last me a lifetime!" Kairi said and Sora looked at his two Keyblade wielding friends.

"We can take 'em!" Sora proclaimed and they both nodded. Sora then ran at the crowd and jumped into the air but suddenly one grabbed his leg and sent him sprawling towards the ground. He looked up in shock, his mouth agape. "What the…" But his thoughts went unanswered as soon the Huntsmen had closed in around them. All three of the wielders dismissed their weapons…they knew this was a fight that they could not win.

Thus it was that all of them were bound and gagged by the henchmen as the gwythaints took the Black Cauldron to Annuvin. The Huntsmen moved with great speed and reached Annuvin in little under three hours. In that time, their mouths were un-gagged so they could freely talk but they were tied up and hung above the Cauldron. The cart of corpses that Taran, Eilonwy, Kairi, and Edge had seen earlier was wheeled in, followed shortly by the Horned King. He looked at all of them almost appraisingly.

"My, such a brave and handsome crew: a pig-boy, a scullery maid, a broken down minstrel, some creature from the forest, and the Keyblade wielders themselves…" the Horned King said with no small amount of amusement in his voice. He faced directly towards Sora. "Sora, we meet again! You left me with such great dispatch upon our last encounter that I had begun to worry I had given you some cause for offense."

"Glad to see you care so much…" Sora said in a biting and sarcastic tone. "So what exactly are you planning here, _Your Majesty_?" He spat the last two words out with such disgust it caused the Horned King to laugh.

"I suppose you would like to know the plan in store for you. With this cauldron I shall create an army of deathless warriors and with them I shall conquer Prydain once more…and then…the worlds!"

"And how does Maleficent feel about this?" Kairi asked in a sneering tone, already guessing at what the Horned King's intentions were. The Horned King turned to them and though no visible smile showed through his mask they could tell he was.

"She will have no choice but to bow to me much like you…" The Horned King strode up to Sora. "Join me and with your powers we can rule all the worlds. Light and darkness, a dichotomy never seen before working together as one." Sora spat at him and the Horned King sighed, turning away. "Very well then, you seal your own fate. Now I call upon the army of the dead! The Cauldron Born! Arise my messengers of death! Our hour has arrived!"

Suddenly the Cauldron began to shake before all of them and blood began leaking out of the top of it. Most of them were repulsed by it but both Sora and Edge kept their gaze transfixed. Suddenly a huge ball of fire erupted out of the Cauldron and they all had to close their eyes to protect themselves from the blinding light as a green mist spilled forth. It washed over the skeletons and corpses of the people that were now scattered across the floor. Eilonwy gasped in fright then as the skeletons came to life as the deathless warriors Prydain would fear: the Cauldron Born.

"My phantom warriors have come to life! All dead from centuries past!" the Horned King screamed in triumph. "Never before has anyone created an army such as this! Go forth my deathless warriors! Go forth and conquer Prydain!" And they obeyed by compulsion, striding forward to do their master's bidding.

"Come sire, we can get a better view from above!" the Creeper called and he led the Horned King upstairs to watch his conquest of the worlds. Taran began struggling against the ropes that were holding him.

"If I were free…I could stop that Cauldron!!" Taran screamed in anguish.

"Oh, promise me you wouldn't Taran, I don't know if I could…" Eilonwy began to say but she broke off, sobbing, tears streaming from her eyes. Suddenly Sora heard the sound of rushing flame next to him and he saw Edge drop to the ground without injury. Clearly the flash of flame when summoning his Keyblades had come in handy.

"I'll cut you all down!" he summoned his Keyblades and immediately severed the ropes binding them. They dropped down to the floor with minimal injury. "Now et out of here, I'll go and stop the Cauldron."

"What?!" Sora said in shock and surprise. "You can't do that Edge! The worlds need you, the Order needs you!"

"No…I've done enough damage. I've sat by idly enough already. The Order doesn't need me. It needs people like you, Kairi, and Riku. That's why…" Edge felt a lump rise in his throat and he turned away. "Sora, promise me that one of you three will lead the Order and get them on the right track again."

"Edge…" Sora began, at a complete loss for words.

"Promise me!" Sora nodded and Edge nodded back. Without any word from his companions he ran straight at the Cauldron knowing no fear at all. Then he jumped in. Instantly the castle of Annuvin was silent before the green mist that had been pouring forth began to be sucked back in. Sora gasped in anguish upon seeing this but Kairi grabbed his arm. He looked into her eyes for a moment.

"Kairi…get them out of here. No arguments!" Sora said, and Kairi, not wanting to get on Sora's bad side began leading them away just as the Horned King came downstairs, clutching the Creeper by the throat. The Creeper was the first to catch sight of him.

"Look, sire! It's the Keyblade master! He's the one doing all of this!" the Creeper yelled and the Horned King dropped the Creeper, advancing on Sora. Sora summoned his Keyblade in a flash.

"No…" the Horned King seethed. "You may have stopped Maleficent but you shall not interfere with MY plans! YOU shall satisfy the Cauldron's hunger, Sora!" With a wave of his hand he sent a billowing flame at Sora who swung his Keyblade in a wide arc and sent a wintery chill at the flame. The two met, mingled, and disappeared. Angered, the Horned King sent a flash of lightning at him which Sora deflected off his Keyblade. The lightning reflected back onto the Horned King who screamed in agony as his mask became even more withered than it had looked before. Sora pushed his offensive until the Horned King broke the spell. Suddenly a great wind filled the area began blowing and pulling in both Sora and the Horned King towards the cauldron. The Horned King sent shards of ice hurling at Sora and he deflected them, while trying to move away from the Cauldron. He couldn't fight it any longer.

Then he saw Kairi standing in the doorway of the castle, beckoning him over. And he knew that he had a reason to keep on living where Edge had not. He pushed against the wind and ran towards the Horned King. The Horned King attempted to ready another volley of magical spells but was too late and Sora sent him flying over and into the Cauldron. he screamed in agony before there was a great burst of light and the Horned King, last true threat of Maleficent's Hellfire Club and the entire worlds, was at last gone. But Sora, sighed, knowing the price they had paid was steep. Suddenly the castle began to rumble. The castle was falling apart.

Sora immediately turned tail and fled, leaving the Creeper to his deserved fate in the crumbling castle. Near the moat everyone but Sora and Kairi was already on a boat in the water. Kairi jumped on first and Sora was only slightly behind. He managed to jump on and then Taran and Fflewddur began using the oars of the boat to row them away from the castle while Gurgi did his best to dog-paddle. Kairi had teas in her eyes and Sora just held her…knowing they had lost a good man.

It was about ten minutes later that they touched on a nearby shore. The sun was beginning to shine once again in the realm of Annuvin as it had not for ages. Prydain was free at last…but only at a terrible price of one of the Keyblade wielders. They saw a gwythaint escape from the castle with the Creeper on it but it didn't matter to them. That was the last thing they saw for another ten minutes. But as Sora was still comforting Kairi in her sobbing he saw one last thing floating from the destruction of Annuvin amidst the waves. All of them saw it.

It was the solitary figure of the Black Cauldron.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Wow…I think that was a truly intense chapter if I do say so myself. But what do you think? If you've seen the movies then you'll know what happens in the finale of Prydain next chapter but guess what, if you haven't, you get to wait for that till next week. Which brings me to two points: 1) I amaze myself at having been able to write this so fast, and personally that was from the wonderful encouragement I got from Lord Moldybutt today in their review. 2) Next week is it for this story. We have only five chapters left and the final confrontations (two of them in fact) though there will be some much needed exposition. There's lot's of stuff planned so I hope you enjoy it next week. Until then, review on what you'd like about this chapter and Dare to Be Silly.

**P.S. If none of you noticed, I made references to both a game and a movie:**

**Final Fantasy IV: The Spoony Bard line which I think works so well with Fflewddur at this point. (Not to mention that's where I derived Edge's character from.)**

**Star Wars Episode III: The lightning deflecting onto the Horned King's mask off Sora's Keyblade is similar to Mace Windu deflecting Palpatine's lightning and scarring his face.**


	17. Chapter 41: The Final Rush

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, The Black Cauldron, or The Chronicles of Prydain for the short amount of time it is in this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 41

The Final Rush

"_Once we go through, there's no going back. It's either victory or oblivion."_

-Riku

For a moment, all of them stared with sadness at the floating black form. But soon anger managed to get the better of Sora for a moment in time. He summoned his Keyblade and began firing shots of fire at the Cauldron. They kept getting stronger and stronger with each one. However, no matter how many times they might have hit the Cauldron, the cauldron's magical properties deflected it away. He then screamed in rage and kicked the sand that was where they were. However, soon after his fit of rage had begun it just as quickly subsided as Kairi stood up and put her hands around him, holding him there. Then a voice that was familiar to all of them spoke out.

"Why so sad ducklings?" came the voice of Orgoch and Sora looked at the sky, where he believed the sound was coming from in anger.

"You cowards! You knew this would happen! You-" But Sora cut off there as his anger began to choke him, he could say no more. He turned away with the tears of rage still falling from his eyes.

"Oh come now, you got what you wanted didn't you?" Orddu's voice came next from the clouds. "And yet you're still not satisfied." Suddenly the three witches appeared in the sky above them with smiles on their faces.

"No…Gurgi is filled with moanings and groanings." Gurgi said while rocking back and forth. holding himself.

"Now, just what do you think you're up to, ladies?" Fflewddur asked discreetly and almost accusingly. Orddu's smile brightened at that statement.

"We have business with these fine heroes." Orddu told him sharply and turned to Sora, Kairi, and Taran who had joined them near the edge of the beach.

"Haven't you taken enough from us, you witches?!" Kairi screeched at them and they looked taken aback.

"Who is she calling a witch?!" Orwen said in shock but Orddu quickly quieted her down. She turned to them again.

"The only thing that mattered to all of you was the Black Cauldron. But now it's of no use to you, so we'll just take it and be on our way!" Orddu said and all three witches moved simultaneously toward the Cauldron but Fflewddur stepped up and stopped them.

"Wait! Uh, stay your hands, uh, ladies!" Fflewddur said tentatively but he soon picked up his courage to say more as the three witches stopped. "We _never_ give anything away! We bargain! We trade…remember?" He had a small smile on his face and for a moment the witches looked repulsed.

"Did these old ears hear the word bargain? Hmmm…" Orddu said after a small while before she grimaced and with a wave of her hands _Dyrnwyn_ appeared. "I know what it is you want…A magnificent sword for a warrior."

"I'm no warrior, just and assistant pig-keeper. I have no need of a sword." Taran said, slightly crestfallen. "But I think that all of us here, myself included, would like Edge to come back…since he was the real hero in this whole thing."

"So you still want a trade?" Orgoch voiced with some small amount of displeasure, but Orddu was infinitely more cheerful, now that she got to realize she could keep her sword.

"So you want the Keyblade wielder who sacrificed his life to destroy the Cauldron's powers, in exchange for the Cauldron itself?" Orddu asked and all of them on the sandy beaches nodded. "Sorry, but it's not possible!"

"See, just admit it!" Fflewddur yelled out with no amazement in his voice, or fear, this time. "You ladies have no real power, do you?" They looked at him, absolutely livid, even Orwen who was kind of smitten with him in way. They whirled around the cauldron and it disappeared as Edge's own lifeless body appeared on the edge of the beach.

"Fine! We have made a bargain!" Orddu yelled with a cackle punctuating the end of it. They were about to fly away when Orddu turned back to Sora and tossed him something. He caught it and looked at it; it was his crown pendant. "We had to see if you were the one…we had to test you, you see…"

"Test me?" Sora asked, completely confused. "For what?"

"In time you'll see…send our regards to Yen Sid…the old codger hasn't spoken to us for almost a century." Orddu said and soon, all three of the witches of Morva were gone. Sora quickly tied the crown pendant around his neck and suddenly felt a welling up of strength inside him. It was almost as if he was now ready for all challenges set ahead of him. He saw Kairi run up to Edge's body and he quickly followed. Sora felt at his neck and found a small pulse. Kairi summoned her Keyblade as well and the two cast a quick, yet potent Cure spell on Edge. Then they waited.

After a few seconds, Edge began to start coughing and spluttering, water merging from his lungs. He turned over and coughed out onto the beach. Then he began to stand up and looked at Sora and Kairi. The first look that found both his face and his voice was that of confusion.

"Sora? Kairi? Are you dead?" he asked, hoping that it certainly wasn't the case. Smiles stretched across their faces and they shook their heads. "Then…unless I'm dreaming…I'm…alive?" They nodded and suddenly he began to laugh. He loved to laugh. He loved the joy of life. Not that the brief seconds of death were terrible…but life needed him much more than death at this point. Sora walked up to him and shook his hands while Kairi hugged him. In the background, Taran and Eilonwy quickly hugged each other in happiness, but then, feeling awkward, they parted a small distance, though their hands hadn't let go. Sora looked at Edge.

"So…what did death look like? What did you see?" Sora asked him. He cast his head down a bit.

"White shores…and beyond…a far green country, under a swift sunrise." Edge said with a smile, and Sora smiled genuinely back. He nodded his head and answered with a very brief "Me too." Edge quickly extended his hands and summoned his Keyblades in a flash of flame. They still came to him, and that was good enough before he dismissed them. They were getting ready to turn away from the beach when suddenly a great, green pillar of flame arose near them. The three Keyblade wielders knew what was coming and instantly summoned their Keyblades. The rest of the group drew away from the now towering and imposing (leastways to them) Mistress of All Evil.

"So…the Horned King has been vanquished." Maleficent said with a small defeat echoing in her tones. "My staunchest ally…defeated…humbled by the Master of the Keyblade again."

"Right…" Sora said with a slight chuckle. "You do know that the Horned King was planning treason against you, don't you Maleficent?" Maleficent chuckled herself, but it was a much more frightening and terrifying chuckle than theirs.

"Then his treachery has been defeated as well. Regardless, I care not." Maleficent's eyes suddenly gleamed a dark green such as her flames were. "Though the Horned King is defeated, I am not. At last our time has come once more Sora, the time in which I challenge you openly. But we play by my terms…I believe it is only fitting. Henceforth, my castle shall be unguarded. I will not have Heartless roaming the halls. Seek me out there and if you should find me…we do battle to the death." Sora stared into Maleficent's dark eyes, searching for some meaning of her intent but could find nothing. But this was the first legitimate ray of light they had at casting down Maleficent once and for all…and none of them were going to pass it up.

"We'll take your challenge and accept it." Sora said confidently. Maleficent bowed to her enemies.

"Very well then, Sora. I admire your bravery." And with that she let off a high-pitched cackle as she disappeared and th winds stirred briefly against the calm surface of the water. Kairi turned to Sora.

"We're not going to consult the king on this?" Kairi asked and Sora shook his head.

"We have no time. Maleficent just offered us the chance to destroy her and I'm gonna take it." Sora said. He looked at Edge, as if asking if he would go along, and Edge nodded. Sora held out his Keyblade and created the portal to the World That Never Was. Edge nodded again and stepped through first, followed by Kairi. Sora then put one foot into the portal but looked back at the friends he had made on Prydain. Fflewddur and Gurgi were waving goodbye sadly. But Sora found only Taran and Eilonwy. "Oh yeah, Taran, Princess Eilonwy…you make a cute couple, good luck!"

And he stepped through, knowing he had left an awkward impression on the group. When he stepped out, he was welcomed back to the rain-streaked sky of the World That Never Was. Before him, at the Brink of Despair was the mammoth-huge Castle That Never Was. Sora hadn't been here in years…but the last time he was, the Altar of Naught had been sheared off and yet here, it was now rebuilt. And Sora knew, that was where Maleficent was hiding. Still holding his Keyblade in his hand and had it shoot towards the castle's entrance, creating a large blue bridge as it had done seven years ago.

"Hmm…never was able to figure that out. Usually I was under Heartless pressure any time I even tried to infiltrate this place." Edge said, slightly impressed with how easily Sora had opened the path. "Well…guess there's nothing to it now. In we go." And, ironically, it was Edge who led the way forward. Sora followed quickly behind him.

Maleficent had kept true to her word and the halls of the castle were more or less deserted and no spells rested on the place that would prevent them from entering specific area. But Sora figured that he knew where Maleficent was, and he knew the exact path to take there. That was why Sora eventually went ahead of Edge and began leading their way. At last, Sora reached the Hall of Empty Melodies, where he remembered having fought Xigbar here seven years previously. He also remembered that was where he had seen Kairi for the first time in over a year. The thoughts of nostalgia washed over him in a smile until he heard Kairi yell his name before a very familiar laugh sounded out.

"Pete…" Sora said with disgust, holding his Keyblade aloft. "I was wondering when we'd run into you."

"So, Maleficent challenged you guys huh?" Pete said with a finger on his chin, as though thinking with his incredibly small brain. "Well then, bring it on!" He waved his hands and waves of Heartless suddenly appeared, all of different shapes and sizes. "Bet ya can't handle 'em all!!"

"We'll see about that!" Kairi asserted as a Shadow leapt at her. She twisted around and easily sliced through it with a smirk.

"What about Maleficent?" Edge asked angrily, clearly not very happy that Pete was here to slow them down. "If we let Pete slow us down we'll be in no condition to fight her!"

"We have no choice!" Sora yelled in determination. "We'll take her later!" But somehow, Sora knew that Edge wouldn't go with that course of action. He needed to prove his worth to all of them by stopping Maleficent himself. He shook his head.

"No…I'm taking her NOW!!" Edge yelled and in one fluid motion, flipped over the tops of everyone's heads and landed on the other side. He instantly began sprinting towards the exit and Sora shook his head. They were gonna have to take him alone.

"Kairi, sweetie, take care of the Heartless for me, would you? I'm gonna take care of big, fat, and ugly here!" Sora said and Pete started getting angry. Kairi gave her fiancée a peck on the cheek and ran straight into the crowd, twirling her Keyblade around. He almost laughed. Compared to seven years ago at this very same castle, she had really improved in a fight. Sora just looked at Pete and smirked. He recoiled slightly but then tossed a bomb Sora's way. "So old school…"

Sora leapt into the air and dodges the exploding bomb. He landed gracefully and made a headlong rush at Pete who saw him coming. He instantly erected his shield and started laughing. But Sora raced around to the back of the shield and delivered a round house kick to it. This sent Pete rolling and he immediately disengaged the shield for fear of falling through the hole in the ground. Sora ran at Pete again and Pete jumped into the air and slammed down, creating a huge shockwave that spanned the entire room. Sora ordered Kairi to jump and she did so, while eliminating the bulk of airborne Heartless in the room. By the time she landed, the ground Heartless were no more. Pete looked at this in fear.

"Ready to surrender now?" Sora said, both he and Kairi holding their Keyblades out towards him. He scoffed.

"This ain't over!" he yelled, and in a puff of smoke. Sora waited till he was completely gone and then began running towards the exit. They needed to find Edge.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While the intense (or maybe not-so-intense) battle against Pete was going on down below, Edge had at last reached the Altar of Naught, now known as the rebuilt Altar of Dark. He stood there, rage filling him…and yet, there was a certain degree of calmness within him. Before him stood the very woman who had given the worlds hell, the Mistress of All Evil, the Sorceress, or merely just Maleficent. And he hated her for it. He hated that she felt she should rule all the worlds by herself. He hated that she had destroyed Agradar which had led the boy Gentai to doing such imaginable things. But most of all, he hated her because of what she stood for and reeked of: darkness. He stepped forward and Maleficent smiled. Though she only knew him from their very few and sparse encounters over the last year, she would always remember him.

"Maleficent…" Edge seethed, his hands and fists clenching and unclenching. "For this…what you've done to the worlds…and everything…you will pay!!" Maleficent turned to him, a truly wicked smile on her face.

"It is not I who am doing these things to the world, but rather your friend and comrade Gentai." Maleficent said, her smile twisting even further.

"He's not even an acquaintance of mine." he said with passion and disgust.

"Nevertheless, it shames me as it grieves you…shames me that he is succeeding where I could not." She put a hand to cover her face as though she truly was ashamed.

"Don't you dare speak of shame!" Edge cried in anger and Maleficent smiled once again which made Edge hate her all the more.

"I respect you Alexander, you're a man with courage and are never afraid to do what you feel is right…" Maleficent said sympathetically. But then suddenly her tone changed and became slightly more icy in demeanor. "But you are a slave to your heart and your emotions…and therefore you shall never know true strength, no matter what you try." Edge looked down at his shoes and closed his eyes.

"You think that following my heart…the rage I feel in it…is a weakness?!" Edge snapped and is head and eyes did the same as he looked at the witch. "Then let me show you…HOW WRONG YOU ARE!!!!!" Two great columns of flame suddenly erupted near his two hands and began spinning and spiraling until at last, both of his Keyblades were in his hands. He leapt forward and took a strike at Maleficent, but she had already used her staff to form a sword and blocked the blow. Edge flipped backward as Maleficent sent a jet of green flame at him. He dodged it with a flip and landed. She sent another flash of flame at him. "Smoke!" Smoke eruped around him and he managed to escape quickly before the blast hit. Maleficent looked for him and found him straight behind her. "Flood!"

Water suddenly burst in torrents from a symbol that formed between Edge's two Keyblades. Maleficent was borne up under the flood but with a great sweep of her sword she cut it away and dropped to the floor, unharmed. She sent torrents of green flame even faster at Edge this time which he expertly used flips to dodge. He then threw his Keyblades at her horizontally. They spiraled to her but she knocked them away effortlessly. He caught them easily and then began to toss one after the other, hoping to wear Maleficent down but to no avail. Edge caught them and spun them around a bit. Maleficent then began to cackle as her self was emerged in green flame, as if to escape.

"Not today!" Edge yelled and he ran at her, ran right into the green flame which began to scorch his body. But he didn't fear the pain or injury and instead aimed his Keyblades straight at her and managed to give her a great gash on her side. She gasped in pain and then amped up the heat of her flames which caused Edge to fly out and crash onto the ground. Maleficent, heaving great gasps of pain, walked over to him to finish the job. She plunged her sword straight into Edge's heart. He gasped unable to move, save for his hand which gave one final heave of the Keyblade and gave Maleficent yet another gash in her other side. Maleficent gasped in pain before she saw something that made her even more fearful.

Sora came running up and she immediately began to make plans for escape. Sora leapt into the air and came slamming down upon the floor of the Altar of Dark. Maleficent was gone and they had failed. Sora whipped around and breathed out Edge's name. He saw Kairi cradling him as his breathing began to become staggered and erratic.

"I…I failed…" Edge breathed out, his words very short and brief. "I could only wound her…but…she'll be out of your way…for a while…"

"No. Out of _our_ way." Sora insisted. But Edge just chuckled and started coughing. It hurt to laugh. It hurt even to talk. He had been claimed by green fire and it would coast him dearly.

"You're a good person Sora…I…only wish I could have been of more help." His breathing became more labored as he strained for breath and life. "All I've ever done…I did for the worlds, not myself. I could only hope that you wouldn't gainsay my loyalty."

"Not anymore…I wouldn't…I…couldn't." Sora said and Edge nodded, slightly at ease though his body was still coughing and hacking.

"Please, promise me, you'll take the Order and lead them…one of you…must." His breath on the final word was like he was letting the last bit of air rush out of him. Both Kairi and Sora nodded at this statement and Edge smiled, his eyes staring up at them with sincere admiration of the both of them. "If there is to be a brave new world…one without darkness…then you will be the ones to make it…I know…you will…"

Sora cried out as Edge spoke those last words. His mouth closed as he said those words and said no more. But Edge never closed his eyes to reach eternal sleep. They remained open, as if watching every moment that would now play out in the worlds. Kairi began to sob. They knew he was gone. There would be no magic and no trading to bring him back this time around. It was incontrovertible beyond a shadow of a doubt that Alexander "The Flaming Edge" Garibaldi, was dead, the last of his line, and the first of the new Order.

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Okay, I lied. It's not next week yet! Surprise!! I figure I'll post this as the two-day early three month anniversary of this story. But wow, am I cruel or what? I bring back a character in the same chapter that he dies permanently. But it needed to happen. I'm sure you have many questions. What was Orddu talking about testing Sora for? Is Edge really dead? Is Maleficent out of the picture? Who will lead the Order with Edge's death? And most importantly, where is Gentai fitting into all this? Relax, next chapter we will pick up on Gentai and his whole deal again but yes…Maleficent is out of the picture and Edge is, totally and completely dead. Everything else will be told in time. In the meantime, drop me a review por favor, and Dare to Be Silly.


	18. Chapter 42: Hour of Darkness

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts but I do own my generals.**

* * *

Chapter 42

Hour of Darkness

"_No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within."_

-Sora

Riku sat in the darkened cell of Crown Fortress near the lower levels. He was silent, slightly at peace save for the lurking shadow on his mind that was beginning to consume him. He had taken the first few hours not only examining the fortress' dungeon but also trying to find a way to escape. He should have known that he couldn't. This was where the Keyblade wielders had once ruled, powerful and just. They wouldn't just allow their prisoners, wielders of the Keyblade or not, to escape. However, the prison wasn't without comforts and was probably much more comfortable than any other kind of prison, especially (as Riku hoped Sora and the others wouldn't go to) the dungeons of Annuvin.

It had a nice high backed ceiling that arched above him and the room was quite spacious with a nice bed in the corner that didn't feel crappy under his weight but was quite comfortable. Gentai would often stride by three times a day at the same exact time in order to give him some food. But he never spoke, never even really acknowledged his existence save for the food. Most other hours of the day Crown Fortress had been completely silent and he could only wonder if Gentai was in the upper floors of the castle or if he had left the castle entirely. _Well, we can only hope that he doesn't decide to go hunting after Sora and the others…they've probably got enough trouble with the Horned King right now as it is._ But still, Riku was worried that was exactly where he was going. At this current time, he had been in the dungeon at least two nights and he had his back against the wall and he got to thinking.

How had Gentai caused him so much pain just by _looking_ at him. The scar on his back had burned with a ferocity unimaginable and he almost felt a word lash out at him, a sentence, a phrase he had not heard for so long. It sounded like his voice and yet at the same time it had not. _Open your heart! Surrender it to the darkness! Become darkness itself!_ And then that pain had shot through him. Riku knew that Gentai understood the residual darkness in his heart but he had never thought that Gentai would end up using that to exploit him. Could Gentai control the darkness despite his light? Or was he delving so far deep that nothing mattered to him anymore?

The light in the cell began to darken and Riku knew that his third day in the fortress' dungeon was drawing to a close at last. He hoped Sora was faring better than he was…that hopefully the Horned King was gone from Prydain at last. He was with Edge. To be honest with himself, he didn't mind Edge so much anymore. Edge had fought on against Royal Pain even when Riku was down. He had kept watch over him while Sora and Will had been dueling her. He had even helped in rescuing Disney Castle from that bomb there. He had laid it all on the line, he had discovered theories before both him and King Mickey. So who was Riku to call Edge a coward anymore? He closed his eyes, wanting sleep to take him for that night but he heard footsteps approaching from the hall. That was an odd hour for Gentai to come and see him. And yet, it was gentai who stopped outside the bars of his cell and stared in, his green eyes glinting in the pale patch of moonlight shining through. Riku got up and walked over to him and stared at him through the bas with nothing less than a scowl on his face.

"What do you want?" Riku spat but Gentai's nonchalant and neutral face did not change in the slightest. He was silent for a moment.

"Your friends have defeated the Horned King, his power is no more." Gentai said calmly and Riku breathed easier knowing that they were alive. But his thoughts now quickly turned to himself.

"How long are you planning on holding me here?" Riku asked, the corners of his mouth twitching in anger.

"We'll know about thirty six hours from now. I am making a bargain with Disney castle tomorrow morning. Should they accept it, you will go free. However, if they don't…you could be here a very long time…or none at all." Riku was shocked that Gentai could say such a thing so calmly and with no change in his face. He then walked away. _What bargain was he making?_ But overall, Riku noticed a subtle difference in Gentai: He was no longer filled with livid rage.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sora and Kairi returned to Disney Castle, disheartened. The peace they had in their heart was small and slim compared to overwhelming pain they were feeling. Sora knew it would only last till after the funeral for him, but the pain was still there and would always be there. But Maleficent was gone for now…and that was good enough for now. All they had left to deal with was Gentai. Sora held anger at Gentai in his heart, blaming him for all these terrible things happening. He could no longer blame Edge, whose body he was carrying, who had sacrificed everything in his life to break the Horned King's power, to break Maleficent and send her to a black abyss. Sora had no one else to blame but Gentai…and possibly the other nine generals. Nevertheless, the burden of Edge's body was one that Sora proudly bared as they entered the portal back to Disney Castle.

King Mickey was the first to see the limp and lifeless body of the commandant of the Order of the Crown. Inside he was sad, and yet, he knew that truly Edge had been seeking a place to die all along to atone for all the sins of omission due to his order. Thus it was that he promptly arranged the funeral which would took place at night before Edge's body was to be burned…a fitting ending for one with such a name as "The Flaming Edge". Kairi, had withdrawn to her visitor's room to cry and Sora figured that he should just let her be and instead took to walking around the sunny grounds of Disney Castle. He almost smiled to himself being in the peaceful embrace of the courtyard. The worlds hadn't cried like they did when he had "died" but a year ago and the World That Never Was didn't count since it was always raining there.

Sora eventually found himself in the shadow of one of the trees in the courtyard that he leaned against. He knew that he should be feeling sad but his thoughts had actually seemed rather free. But still, Sora couldn't draw his sight or thoughts away from Edge's open eyes as he died…as though he was keeping a watch on the worlds, or seeing what had become of them. Sora almost felt himself lazily drifting to sleep when suddenly a shadow was cast over him. His eyes opened a crack and he saw three men standing before him: one with brown hair and green eyes, and two who looked identical with long, black hair and hazel eyes.

"Um…may I help you?" Sora asked, confused as to why these three men, who Sora now remembered as Marcus, Antonio and Donato from the ten generals, were standing before him.

"You are Sora, I presume?" one of the twins said and after Sora saw the A embroidered on his clothing he figured that this was Antonio. Sora nodded. "We have spoken with His Majesty the king about how Edge died and what he said to you."

"And what do you care?" Sora said, getting up from the shade of the tree and beginning to walk away from the three men. "If you guys hadn't shot down all of his suggestions to go out and fight in the worlds, he wouldn't be dead now!"

"You misunderstand." Marcus said and Sora stopped. "We are the only three that advocated the fight." Sora turned around now to face the generals with a confused look on his face.

"You see," Donato began, "the generals work as a democracy. Majority rules. We were the three who supported Edge but the other six, for whatever reason, did not."

"Thus, we needed to know how our leader died and what he said upon his death. From what His Majesty said, Edge named one of you, Kairi, or Riku as the supreme commandant of the Order of the Crown." Antonio said, cocking his head towards Sora a little. Sora folded his arms.

"And, what does that mean for me?" Sora asked, arching his eyebrows towards them a bit.

"That no matter what, we _will_ secure you and your friends as leaders of the Order when the time comes." Marcus said with a smile. "We will not allow scum like Onyx or Cothius, who wish to sit and hide in their chambers, to lead the Order." Sora laughed at that. There were men loyal to the cause of defeating Maleficent and saving the worlds.

"So Edge was like a president who can't do anything without the senate's approval?" Sora asked, to clarify his view and they nodded. Then Sora shook hands with the three of them, glad that he had people on his side.

That evening there was the funeral procession through the town near Disney Castle. Many people and residents, even if they didn't know Edge turned up to watch the procession. It was a sad procession for many but Sora still found hope burgeoning in his chest that maybe they would be able to help the Order and the worlds. He himself was at the front of the line with Mickey, Kairi, and all the rest of the generals. Many of the other Keyblade wielders filed in behind the generals, though Donald and Goofy had joined them up front. At the end of the procession, Sora and the others formed a circle around Edge's body as Mickey lit it on fire to cremate his body in a proper way. Sora stared into the flickering flames and once more felt the burden of the worlds on his shoulders. And yet, he knew that somewhere within him was the strength to fight till the very end. Opposite him, through the flames was Onyx, the man that Edge had called his best friend. He had his hands behind his back and stood there looking at his deceased former friend with no emotion in his eyes, his pupils being like those of boring black holes. But Sora turned away from that thought and instead held Kairi in order to comfort her.

Despite his great loss, he slept peacefully that night and in the morning, woke up rested and proceeded to join Mickey and Kairi in the Audience Hall. Mickey himself was pacing nervously as Sora and Kairi looked at each other, sitting in their chairs near the king's throne. But one thought was all that was filling Sora's head.

"So…what now?" Sora asked and Mickey stopped his pacing for a moment. "Maleficent is gone for the moment…should we track her down or…?"

"Where's Riku?" Kairi said quickly, her input cutting across Sora's small babble. Mickey looked at them and sighed.

"I don't know, fellas. We haven't heard from him since you two left for Prydain. I don't know where he could possibly be…" Mickey sighed out. Unfortunately for all of them, another voice answered Mickey's question.

"I can answer that." came Gentai's voice and there was a burst of light in the Audience Hall. From the portal of light, Gentai emerged and all three of the Keyblade wielders quickly summoned their Keyblades. Gentai held up a hand as if commanding them to stop. "I didn't come here to fight you. I came to make a bargain."

"Bargain?!" Sora spat, remembering that so much of this was Gentai's fault. "What bargain do you think you could possibly make?"

"I hold Riku's life prisoner in Crown Fortress." Gentai stated bluntly and all three looked as though they had the wind knocked out of them. "This is the bargain I'll make with you: the throne of Disney Castle for Riku's life. If you name me king, I'll let Riku go free…refuse, well…" Gentai chuckled and evil chuckle but Sora could see there was no smile on his face at the thought of it. "Let's just say he won't live much longer."

"We won't bow to you Gentai!" Kairi yelled to the sixteen year old. He nodded his head a bit before he summoned his Keyblade and opened a portal of light behind him.

"I figured that you would say that…and for that reason I'll give you twenty four hours to contemplate what it means. The allegiance of the worlds to me in exchange for Riku's life…'tis more than a fair exchange." With that, Gentai backed into the portal of light. Sora quickly ran at him and managed to leap through the portal just as it closed. Gentai was nowhere in sight, but he didn't care. He quickly opened a portal back to Disney Castle and entered there, returning to both Kairi and the king. He quickly explained that he needed to go to Crown Fortress so that he could create a portal there for later.

"So, now that we know Riku is being held captive…we have to free him!" Kairi said quickly and Sora nodded but placed a thoughtful finger to his chin.

"But if those creatures from before are there…I mean, we barely know what they are, how can we face them?" Sora said exasperatedly when a new, and yet still familiar voice, called out.

"I believe that I can help with that." Yen Sid said as he appeared in the room, adorned in his blue robes and he strode forward to the trio in the Audience Hall. Sora and Mickey quickly bowed acknowledging his presence and Kairi followed in suit. Yen Sid waved it off as he summoned a chair with a flick of his fingers and sat in it. "Gentai has summoned creatures known as the Unbirths."

"Unbirths…" Mickey said thoughtfully, as though pulling forward a deep memory. "I remember that name…"

"You should, Your Majesty, those are the creature which the original Round of the Crown, and you yourself, fought many years ago before the time of the Heartless. They were thought to have become extinct around the same time that both the Heartless and the Nobodies emerged into the world." Yen Sid explained to all of them and Sora nodded his head in understanding. But Sora still had one unasked question.

"But…what are they?" Sora asked and Yen Sid turned to face him gravely.

"There are three parts to existence: the heart, the body, and the soul." Yen Sid said slowly and deliberately. "The Heartless are the heart surrounded in darkness, but this you know, just as you know that a Nobody is the body and the soul remaining from the Heartless. Yet the Unbirths are what appears when it is merely the soul that exists…They are the opposite of birth and therefore the opposite of life: death." Sora gasped, at last understanding Gentai's words to them in Radiant Garden. "They appeared so many years ago because darkness had not yet found a way to manifest itself from the heart and so worked its way to the soul. The soul became twisted and thus formed the Unbirths. Gentai is much the same…he has no darkness in his heart…and yet, because he has committed such dark deeds, it is his soul that was affected and gave rise to the Unbirths."

"So now we have three types of enemy to deal with. Great…" Kairi said sarcastically. She looked at Yen Sid. "Is there any way to eliminate them?"

"It is said in ancient lore that three enemies will arise, and that when all three are vanquished and gone at the same time, no darkness, and no evil shall ever step forth again. But it has been years since I last heard that prophecy. However, I cannot tell you of any way that all three may be vanquished for the Unbirths are very resilient. You see, Gentai's soul was so twisted that it brought the Unbirths into existence…however, should someone else's soul be twisted, even if less so, they will continue to exist even if they do not owe their allegiance to them."

"So…let me get this straight. The Unbirths are born from one's soul being twisted. They feed on death and all in order to grow on strength and are sustained as long as one's soul is twisted but only owe their allegiance to one whose soul is beyond even twisted…like Gentai?" Yen Sid nodded, affirming the truth of what Sora had just said. "Then they can still be divided and leaderless, and the only way we can do that is…"

"Defeat Gentai." Kairi said simply, finishing Sora's thought. He nodded fiercely. "Then we're going to Crown Fortress and freeing Riku while also stopping Gentai?"

"You know it!" Sora said and he turned to King Mickey, practically asking for his blessing. Mickey nodded his head slightly and Sora smirked. He wasn't going to let Gentai sit around and do these things anymore. Yen Sid shifted around behind Sora, and it seemed that he had done so uncomfortably but nobody really noticed other than the sound. However, this did trigger something in Sora's memory. "Oh yeah…Orddu, Orwen, and Orgoch say hi!" Yen Sid gave a start and smiled at Sora.

"Ah…how are those three lovely ladies doing?" Yen Sid with a smile which made Sora confused as to why he was.

"Umm…as pungent as ever…How do you know them?" Sora asked, having been wondering on this point for a while.

"Ah, you see, when I was young and my magical powers began manifesting themselves, as a teenager I took to wandering and met them…they honed my magic powers for a time and I went on my way." Yen Sid still smiling, as though thinking of fond memories. But his tone change. "Did they give you anything, Sora?"

"Uhh…yeah…" Sora reached into his pocket and pulled out the golden Keychain that he had received from the three witches. "I gave them my crown pendant in exchange for this. Then they gave me this saying that they were testing me for something. Do you know what they meant?" Yen Sid chuckled and shook his head in humor.

"Oh yes…you see, back in the day, Keyblades were passed down from house to house of kings, especially in Radiant Garden. However, long before the time of Ansem they lost their Keyblade and it passed on and their Keyblade was lost for ages. That is their Keychain, only given when their line of _kings_ is broken." Yen Sid smiled warmly at Sora. "Only one who gives up the only thing that belongs to him could be handed the lives of a world of people and therefore could be handed the throne of Radiant Garden and the Keychain known as Kingdom's Crown." Sora scratched his head and Yen Sid then dropped the bombshell on Sora.

"You, Sora, are meant to be the king of Radiant Garden."

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: CLIFFHANGER!! Are you surprised? Lord Moldybutt, you shouldn't be…I'm just sayin'. In any case, there is part of the exposition I promised you and my theory behind the Unbirths. I'm probably wrong…but I think them being the soul isn't unreasonable. This also sheds some light on other members of the Order. I'm starting to build towards Fear of the Darkness now as well…and yes, now you finally understand the title of this story (which took a full 42 chapters to get to). We've come pretty far, haven't we? In any case, next chapter is the emotional climax of the story and following that chapter is the ACTUAL climax of the story so buckle up and get ready cause we end this story this week. Please review and Dare to Be Silly.


	19. Chapter 43: Gentai's Madness

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kingdom Hearts unfortunately and I know I won't get it for my birthday in a few weeks but oh, how I wish I could get a PSP for Birth by Sleep and that 358/2 Days comes out sooner.**

* * *

Chapter 43

Gentai's Madness

"_No! You won't use me for this!"_

-Riku

Sora collapsed into the chair from where he was standing. _He_ was meant to be the king of Radiant Garden. He bit his lip, shocked and surprised. Was that what they were testing of him? How selfless he was? Was it because he had given up the only thing on him that truly belonged solely to him? He couldn't deny that he had felt drawn to that Keychain when it was presented to him. Had they merely given it to him because the line was broken…no, he knew somewhere inside of him, that this was always meant to be. Because he had fallen in love with its princesses…because he had saved it from the power of Maleficent…because of his efforts it had begun to be rebuilt. He had told Leon he wouldn't leave the worlds in such a state and now, he felt that this might have been what he meant.

Tears began coming down his face. They weren't of pain or confusion but a real happiness that was beginning to well up in his heart and come pouring out. Kairi bent down next to him and held him. He relished her embrace but somehow, knowing the full truth of what all of this meant. He had to do the one thing that made the most sense. He summoned his Keyblade. The black crown of the Oblivion Keychain was still dangling there but Sora knew that it was time to change it. He attached the Kingdom's Crown Keychain and the Oblivion melted off and fell into his hand. The Keyblade instantly changed. The whole Keyblade was pure gold practically, its handle was smooth but with a decent grip on it. The handle was elaborate with two wings stretching on either side of the hand guard. Its shaft was also a beautiful guard which tapered off to a crown at the very top. The blade itself seemed to resemble a fleur de lis, or at least the upper half of one. Sora stood up and held it in his hands. It was a little heavier than normal and yet Sora felt that he had the strength to be able to wield it easily. Everyone stood back from him and he took a few swipes through the air.

"So…I am the king…" Sora said with determination and he nodded, accepting his new mantle…Keyblade master, hero, man, and now king. "But…I don't know if I'm ready…" Mickey was the next to speak up.

"If you were…you wouldn't be king." Mickey said and Sora looked at him confusedly. "Don't you understand, Sora? When I took the throne of Disney Castle, I felt ill prepared. I didn't think I was ready to lead the most powerful kingdom in the universe…and yet, many people respect me. As a king, you may not think you are ready…but for that very reason, you are, Your Majesty…" Mickey bowed to him and Kairi even curtsied even though she knew she was going to be the queen. Inside, she knew that it was meant to be inevitable…

"Your Majesty, you know you're the only one who goes by that here…not me. My kingdom, when I take it, will answer to yours." Sora himself kneeled before Mickey and the small mouse chuckled. He summoned his Keyblade and tapped him on both his shoulders. When he finished, Yen Sid was the one to speak up.

"Then go forth, King Sora…go forth and pave the way for your kingdom." Yen Sid said proudly of the new king of Radiant Garden. Sora nodded. He knew what needed to be done: free Riku and stop Gentai. He held his new Keyblade before him and created a portal to Crown Fortress.

"Come on, Kairi, let's go save Riku…again…" Sora said with a small chuckle. Kairi giggled at that and followed her soon-to-be-husband-and-king into the portal which closed behind them. When they emerged from the portal it was upon a castle that seemed to be in complete and utter ruins. The gates inward were unlocked and Sora figured that it had been done by Riku which meant that Gentai at least hadn't been lying that he was here. Kairi shuddered a little from the effect of where they were as Sora looked around a bit. "Come on."

Sora led Kairi forward, for though she wanted to save Riku, entering this castle of death she had to do with reluctance. They soon breached the open gate and began walking through the hallways. There were many rooms off to the sides but Sora saw nothing in them. He passed a place that looked almost like the old high school cafeteria what with long tables that seemed to be for sitting and eating. These hallways didn't really seem like residential hallways either and everything seemed broken down.

"Hey, Kairi, kind of reminds you of the old high school right?" Sora said but there came no answer. "Kairi?" Sora turned around but couldn't see Kairi. He backtracked a bit and found her inside one of the rooms, staring at the only corpse they had seen in the entire room. Sora kind of gagged but held it in mostly.

"Do you think…?" Kairi began but she was unable to finish her sentence. Sora grabbed her arm and looked her in the eye.

"No…I don't think Gentai did that, I think it happened a long time ago." Sora said. "Now come on, I don't like this place, let's move." Kairi nodded and started moving slowly again back towards the hallway. Sora chanced a glance towards the room as a whole and saw that it was most definitely a library of some sort. The skeleton that Kairi had been staring at was charred and lifeless and seemed to have once been holding something from the way his fingers were dislocated. Sora scanned the ground quickly and saw a small disc on the ground of some sort. But then he heard Kairi whimper his name slightly and he turned away and ran back to Kairi. They proceeded down the hallway again.

"Sorry for turning into the room like that…it was just…" Kairi said but Sora smiled at her and she forgot what she was going to say to him…or at least the rest of the sentence.

"Anyway…I was asking you earlier, but it kind of reminds you of our old high school, huh?" Sora said with a chuckle in order to keep the mood rather light. Kairi giggled at that despite their current circumstances.

"Yeah…with a creepy deathlike feeling." Kairi said and Sora nodded knowingly. The two proceeded along until eventually they came to what seemed the end of the hallway. What they hit however…was a dead end. Sora knew he had seen many other hallways shoot off the one they had come down but he figured that this was the main one. "Think we went the wrong way?"

"I don't know…" Sora said, stepping more fully into the room where the hallway had ended. It was blue in the room on the walls, floors, and ceiling. Surrounding Sora, on an upper level were nine thrones with a tenth throne higher than all of them. Suddenly a thought hit Sora…perhaps this was the general set up in the days of old. Kairi joined him in the hall and marveled at the architecture of the place. But then Sora looked at the floor and noticed something odd about it…there was a faint outline of a rather large circle on the ground. "Stand back, Kairi." Kairi did as she was ordered and Sora pointed his Keyblade at the circle.

The circle's outline shone brightly and with light before it retracted down into the floor and began a spiral down, creating a nice spiraling staircase the floors below. Sora laughed a bit. Clearly this was used for one of two purposes: either the generals loved to keep their enemies closer than their friends or this was an escape hole for them in darker times. Sora motioned to Kairi with his hand and the two proceeded down the staircase. Their footfalls echoed throughout the building and down the staircase until they hopped off at the bottom to find a stone hallway stretching in front of them.

Silently they moved on, their feet even louder against the stone of this passage. There were torches set on the sides of the walls in brackets. They were burning brightly with a normal red flame so Sora could only guess that it was due to recent activity…and therefore Gentai. This underground hallway seemed even longer than the last hallway they had been through. As they walked along they began to see cells with iron bars on them. Sora stopped before one of them and took out his Keyblade. Kairi looked at him questioningly. He just pointed the Keyblade at the cell but nothing happened. He nodded.

"We'll need more than one person to break Riku out of these prisons…kind of like Terra's makeshift jail." Sora told Kairi and she nodded. Before they could move on however they heard a voice call out to them.

"Sora, is that you?" Riku's voice came from a cell a few feet down the hallway. Sora and Kairi looked at each other before running down the hall quickly. They soon found Riku in his cell, trying to poke his head out the bars. "Kairi! You're both here…but…what about Edge, wasn't he with you?" They both shuffled their feet a little.

"Edge is dead, Riku…he injured Maleficent pretty bad and she killed him in the process. He named the three of us head of the Order." Sora said and Riku hung his head.

"I don't think we'll take it though…Sora just got confirmation that he's the king of Radiant Garden." Kairi said in a slightly cheerful voice. Riku snapped his head up and raised his eyebrows with a playful smirk to Sora, as though ready to tease him.

"Save it for when we're out of here." Sora said and having already held his Keyblade he pointed it at the cell. Kairi also summoned hers and pointed it at the cell door.

"Uh…Sora-" Riku began but Sora quickly cut across him before he could say anything more.

"Just shut up and summon your Keyblade!" Sora said and Riku obeyed, summoning Way to the Dawn to his hand and pointing it at the cell bars. All three of the Keyblade wielders focused on the will to unlock the door and bright beams at last shot out at the cell door. For about a minute they maintained contact until at last the cell door swung open. "All right, let's get moving!"

"Yeah…but careful…I don't know if Gentai's here or not." Riku said, dusting himself off and exiting from the cell. Sora shrugged a bit.

"I don't care anymore…we have to take him down." Sora said before quickly adding on, after Riku's confused expression, "Yen Sid'll explain everything when we get out of here." Riku just nodded and took Sora's word for it and they et of down the hallway. This time they ran quickly, in the hope to get out of here quickly. If the cells stopped their Keyblades alone then Sora knew that they couldn't just transport with their little portals and would have to make it out to the room before this. Soon they came to the stairs and dashed up them. What they saw when they emerged into the Room of Thrones from the stairs was not a welcome sight.

Gentai was standing at the exit to the room that they were facing with no emotion displayed on his face whatsoever. All three of them held their Keyblades aloft, having kept them out in case they ran into any danger along the way. But Riku saw, much to his fright that Gentai was staring straight at him. The upper part of his lip curved into a wicked smirk and suddenly his eyes not only flashed yellow but remained so for a few seconds.

Riku gasped in pain as the sense of heat once more surged through the scar on his back. He couldn't take it and he instantly collapsed onto the ground, twitching a bit from the excruciating pain surging through him. Sora and Kairi instantly whipped around, dismissing their Keyblade to look at their friend who was writhing on the ground. Sora whipped around to Gentai who was standing there, expressionless and calm. he wanted to beat the guy to a pulp but hearing his friend, the tough guy, Riku, whimpering in pain made him turn back. Riku's body contorted and he looked at them and laughed. When he next spoke, it was not only his voice, but another voice from long ago that accompanied it.

"Your fate is to sink into darkness…you fools…" came the voice of Xehanort laced with Riku's vocal tones before Riku cried out in pain and fell onto his back. And Riku began hearing Xehanort's voice in his head.

_Why do you shun the dark? You're weak. You need darkness! Bow to darkness! Bow to me!_

_Never!_ Riku cried out in his head and suddenly a great spasm of pain shot through him. Then Xehanort did more than speak to him, but showed him visions that sent pain through his body every time he saw them. All of them, conspiring against him, cascaded down upon him.

_The door is open…the door is open Sora! I'm not afraid of the darkness!_

But wasn't he really?

_The Heartless obey me now Sora. Now I have nothing to fear._

But he knew that he really did…

_You were just the delivery boy._

_Wh-why? It was mine…_

And he was lost…part of the darkness…part of Xehanort.

_Open your heart to the darkness! Become darkness itself!_

But was there a chance to be free?

_The truth will bring you pain._

It had already brought him pain…

_You mustn't forget to destroy yourself last…_

This couldn't be what he really was…

_He is an example of what you should try to be._

_Riku…I can see your heart…_

_How can the light hurt you? Riku…have you really become a creature of the dark?_

No! I refuse to be one like that!!!

_It's time for you to face the light!_ Riku gasped in pain as spasm of pain shot through his whole entire body. Tears began trailing down his eyes as Kairi held his hand and Sora looked at his friend, trying to not cry himself.

"It's all right Riku…we're here for you." Kairi said while tears splashed down from her eyes and she gripped his hand tighter as he thrashed around in pain.

_Riku…are you sure you're not jealous of Sora?_

"I can't…" Riku yelled in pain.

_Why? Why do you have the Keyblade?!_ More pain was there, Xehanort wouldn't quit on him; he was still assaulting him. But then, through his tears, Sora saw Riku and Kairi and more visions accompanied his mind…but they weren't painful.

_Don't give up! Come on Sora!_

He was saved…saved by the love for his friends he had shunted aside…

_Riku, the light'll never give up on you!_

The king was right…he had to be right.

_I made a promise that I would find you didn't I?_

_Riku, why'd you try to do so much on your own?_

Because I was weak inside…I needed to be stronger...

_You're still Riku no matter what!_

Was he? Was he really? Sora truly believed that, and so could he.

_Because you mess up our worlds._

_Because you've got friends…like us!_

And he saw all his friends…Sora...Kairi…Mickey, even Donald and Goofy.

_You'll be able to escape the deepest darkness…_

_…And see through the brightest light._

His friends…they stood there to fight for him…and so would he.

"NO!!" Riku yelled loudly and the entire hall reverberated with the noise. "You can't control me…any longer!" And suddenly, an outpour of darkness came from Riku's heart as all around him practically froze. And suddenly the darkness coalesced into the single floating form of Xehanort's Heartless.

"You're a fool…no matter what you do, Riku, you belong to the darkness…You can't escape the darkness." he proclaimed, but before he could say anything else he suddenly had the Way to Dawn piercing through him.

"No…you're the fool…for relying on darkness only." And Ansem let out a roar of pain as he melted away. Riku then collapsed onto the floor, fatigued, but whole. The pain in his scar was gone and Xehanort…

Xehanort's filth was at last washed away…

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Okay, so this was a very short chapter but come one! I think it needed to be. Please tell me whether you found that was a sad moment or not. How far has Gentai come to do such a thing to Riku? Well, the next chapter is the final epic battle between the forces of good and the force of Gentai so get ready for it and please review on your thoughts of this chapter and Dare to Be Silly.

**P.S. The skeleton we see in the library of this castle, in case you couldn't tell from the recording earlier, that's Edge's father.**

**P.P.S. And the whole, listen to "Lord of the Castle" yeah…imagine that during the upcoming fight next chapter.**


	20. Chapter 44: The Dawn Is Come

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts but I do own the lone OC that is Gentai and the two Keyblades Kingdom's Crown and Pale twilight.**

* * *

Chapter 44

The Dawn is Come

"_No, it's the road to dawn."_

-Riku

Riku was breathing heavily as he tried, desperately, to regain his strength. But the battle with Xehanort inside his mind, his heart _and_ his soul had physically drained him. But still, that battle was over at last. He no longer felt that pervading stench of darkness in his heart any more. It had always sat there, lingering, waiting for its chance to strike and consume Riku once more. But he had never given it the chance to. Now, when it laid out its full assault at him, he had succeeded and expelled that darkness from his body and heart.

But he was weak and though he wanted to get up, he couldn't. His strength was coming back to him, but only slowly. That was why Kairi rushed over and quickly supported him as he nearly stumbled down on to the ground. She slumped him over her back much like Sora had seven years ago and Riku was almost surprised as to how strong she had become since that time. Sora meanwhile faced Gentai with a look of anger, calm anger, but still there was anger.

"What did you do that to him for?!" Sora screamed at the boy who stood there, resolute as stone. Gentai looked at him and for a moment all was silent in the hall save for Riku's haggard breathing. "If you wanted to try and kill him, why not just stab him with your Keyblade?!" Sora cried and Gentai shrugged.

"I did nothing…clearly his coming into contact with me had an adverse effect on him." Gentai said calmly and Sora now realized that there was no humor in his voice. "He had the darkness invade his heart. He made the choice to battle against it until the very end and it seems that he won. Why should you hate me for that? If Xehanort is truly gone from the shadows of Riku's heart then I am the one who helped bring it about."

"Shut up!" Sora said and he summoned his Keyblade to his hand. The gold exterior of the Keyblade glinted in the hall and dazzled on all the faces of the people in the room. Gentai's eyes widened a bit but only for a fraction of a second.

"So…you have a new Keyblade?" Gentai said with a cock of his head. "How interesting…and what, might I ask, does it signify?"

"That I am the rightful king of radiant Garden, the world that you broke and that I will rebuild." Sora stated triumphantly, as if to prove a point and now Gentai's face hardened into a smirk.

"That's if you get out of here alive, I presume." Gentai said calmly, not moving a single muscle save for those needed to form the sentence that he spoke to Sora. Sora spread his legs apart and got himself into a defensive stance.

"Oh I will…you've caused enough damage to the worlds, Gentai. And today, you're going down once and for all!" Sora said and Gentai merely stared at him, apparently soaking in Sora's words.

"So then…just the two of us, huh?" Gentai said and he looked down at his feet and closed his eyes. Then his head shot straight up as his eyes snapped open. "Oh, I accept. The light against the overwhelming darkness right. The Keyblade Master against the Key of the Future…who will win I wonder?"

"We will!" Kairi cried out, setting Riku down gingerly as he began to regain himself. Kairi moved to join Sora while also summoning her Keyblade, but Sora held out a hand as if commanding her to stop. She did so, but fixed him with a confused stare as it happened.

"Kairi…this is my fight." Sora said calmly. "Take care of Riku…Gentai is for me, and me only, to fight alone." Kairi looked at him for a moment and then nodded, accepting her fiancée's wishes. She picked Riku up and dragged him to a corner of the hall, where they would hopefully be able to go unscathed. Gentai smiled a wicked smile at Sora.

"Ohh…I've been waiting for this." Gentai said, and Sora felt that his smile was betraying his wicked thoughts. He held his right hand to the side of him, outstretched and a ripple of light formed around it. Soon after, Sora saw the sight of Pale Twilight, extending from Gentai's hand, its black and white finish gleaming maliciously. He held it across himself, ready to battle the man he had once admired.

"Be careful!" Kairi's voice cried out from her secluded area. Sora nodded, steeling himself for this final battle against Gentai.

"I will." he responded, fully prepared to do what he needed to. Gentai smirked.

"We'll see about that!" He lunged at Sora and Sora swung his Keyblade out. The two connected with a mighty _CLANG!_ that echoed through the entire hallway. Sora twirled around and struck at Gentai who reflected the blow and thrust his Keyblade forward. Sora batted it away and spun out of it quickly aiming once more at Gentai's midsection only to have his blow blocked by Pale Twilight. Once more, Gentai took a swipe at Sora and Sora batted it away again, leaping backward. He summoned a rush of energy into his Keyblade and plunged it into the floor, sending multiple beams of energy through the ground at Gentai.

Gentai leapt into the air and threw his Keyblade down at the floor. The energy beams hit the Keyblade, which seemed to absorb it for a moment, before suddenly there was a mini-explosion in the hall. Gentai landed gracefully on the ground and grabbed his Keyblade once again, lunging at Sora. Sora parried the first strike before he made his own attack which Gentai parried himself. The two exchanged a series of blows in quick but not too quick succession before they leapt apart. Gentai ran at Sora and swiped at his legs which Sora managed to roll away from. Gentai took this moment to fire five shards of ice at Sora that began to home in on his position. Sora quickly righted himself and fired his own sets of fire at the ice in rapid succession which destroyed them upon impact.

Gentai gasped a bit but it was barely audible as Sora was dashing straight at him. Sora aimed for his head which he cocked to the right, avoiding the blow and he brought his Keyblade up to bat away Sora's own. He used his Keyblade to guide Sora's along as well, forcing it to his side before bringing his own up quickly to try and attack Sora. Sora didn't fall for it and he blocked the blow before thrusting at Gentai's stomach. Gentai quickly brought his Keyblade in front of his belly to block the blow and then he began to push his own offensive. Sora quickly parried the blows before swiping again at Gentai's head which he blocked. Sora was ready for it though and went for his legs. Gentai made a small leap into the air in order to avoid the attack and Sora quickly jumped into the air and used an aerial dodge to come around to Gentai's backside. He brought his Keyblade down upon it but Gentai's hand shot back with his own Keyblade and blocked the shot. He twisted his body around and pushed Sora's attack off of him. The two now stood apart from each other for a moment.

"You…you've improved." Sora gasped out, a little tired from all the events he had been through in the past few days. Gentai lowered his Keyblade for a moment.

"No…you're just weak!" Gentai yelled and Sora flinched as though he had been whipped. But something inside of him knew what Gentai was saying wasn't true. "You couldn't even defeat or kill anyone that wasn't a Nobody or Heartless…you only killed Maleficent as a dragon!"

"And what about you Gentai?! You think you're strong?" Sora called out, his face reddening with a fury. "You think you're the best in all the worlds?!"

"My hearts the strongest in all the worlds! Yours is just a weak nothing that could barely even face the realm of death!" Gentai cried. But Sora just stared into his eyes and for some odd reason, saw a sense of conflict there, and he smiled. This wasn't over for him…not by a long shot. If Gentai believed he was so powerful then…

"Oh really? Maybe I can't because I have too much light! But you know what Gentai, it doesn't matter. Because unlike you," He grinned brighter than the sun and it almost seemed like a slap to Gentai's face. "I rely on the strength of my heart!!" And he ran at Gentai as Gentai held his Keyblade across him. Sora didn't memorize the movements, he just reacted and the two began a quick succession of blows with Sora saying his actions in his head as he performed them. _Strike, parry, swipe, parry, twirl, strike, parry, parry, parry_. Kairi herself was watching the fight in awe as Sora deftly battled Gentai with extreme speed. Soon enough, their two Keyblades connected for a few seconds before they broke apart and, breathing heavily, put a few good feet between them.

"So…you think you're so strong?" Gentai said, one of his hands resting on his knees. He saw Sora get up from his own panting position and he quickly readied himself for the attack. Sora looked at him and knew that there was only one chance for him to end this fight now…and it would have to come from within the strength of his own heart. Kairi herself watched in worry as Riku managed to get up, finally able to move at last.

"What's going on?" Riku asked, regaining his bearings. Kairi just pointed to where Sora and Gentai were facing each other down. Riku's eyes narrowed at the sight and he nodded his head. Sora, meanwhile, looked at Gentai and knew that he just had to strive for it in his heart. He extended his left hand out and a new ripple of light formed and suddenly a new Keyblade appeared in his hand. Everyone was shocked to see Sora holding two Keyblades at once without using one of his drive forms. His first Keyblade was still Kingdom's Crown, however, his second Keyblade was very differed with a strange silvery handle that had a black shaft but split into spikes for the blade that looked very similar to the Oathkeeper. Riku himself looked at the Keychain dangling from it and he saw the pendant that Roxas had worn in the virtual Twilight Town he had monitored with DiZ.

Sora was wielding Two Across, a symbol for both of the friends he was fighting for. Gentai gasped in awe and anger.

"That's impossible!!!" Gentai screamed in rage. "I know that nobody but your Nobody Roxas and your pitiful friend Edge has ever wielded two Keyblades at one on their own." Sora didn't say a word and instead leapt at Gentai, swiping both of his Keyblades across and connecting them both on Pale Twilight.

"You don't get it!" Sora yelled as he took the Keyblades off and spun around, both of his Keyblades aiming at different parts of Gentai's body. Gentai quickly put his Keyblade vertical and blocked the blow. "I AM Roxas!!!" With that, he broke off and pursued his attack on Gentai. Gentai blocked the first few blows of Sora's flurry of attacks but he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep up that kind of defensive forever. He just dodged the next one before Sora came around to hit him yet again. He clumsily sidestepped that attack and nearly tripped over his own feet, barely able to bring up his Keyblade in time to block Sora's attack. Sora twirled around again and there were two clangs as the Keyblades connected with Gentai's own in an attempt to batter down his defenses. Suddenly, an idea sparked in Gentai's mind. He pushed Sora's attack off of him and leapt upwards before Sora could get another attack in. Suddenly, Sora couldn't see him.

"Where are you?! Don't you dare hide from me?! Come back here!!" Sora yelled angrily, searching all around the room and onto the thrones for signs of Gentai but to no avail, as he couldn't find the sixteen year old Keyblade wielder. Kairi watched Sora fidgeting around and she clutched at her heart, hoping that Sora wouldn't fail and she herself began to scan the top of the room in the hope of locating Gentai. Sora growled as he continued to whip around looking for Gentai. "Come on out! Where are you hiding?"

"HERE!!" Gentai's voice yelled quickly but Sora couldn't see him anywhere before he heard Kairi's voice yell something out.

"Sora, above you!" Kairi screamed and Sora, without even thinking, brought his Keyblades above his head and felt the full force of Gentai slam down into them and flip off. Gentai then ran at Sora in hopes that he would be able to get the surprise offensive and keep Sora too busy to attack him. Sora twirled one of his Keyblades around and blocked the blow before swiping at Gentai with yet another one. He twirled around, his Keyblades spiraling in a circular fashion. Gentai felt both of them glance off his own Keyblade and he himself made an attack which Sora used both of his Keyblades in a cross-like fashion to block and fend off. Sora ran at Gentai a little and leapt into the air, spiraling around quickly, his Keyblades appearing to be blurs. Gentai managed to block all of the strikes and leapt backwards to stop the onslaught. He himself, then lowered his Keyblade.

"So…it seems that we're evenly matched." Gentai panted out but as he looked at Sora he saw that the Keyblade Master looked to still be at full strength. Gentai chuckled a bit. "I guess there's no escaping destiny, huh?"

"Gentai…" Sora breathed out. "Come back with us. I know your soul is twisted but there's still time to turn from this path. You can still fight with us."

"No I CAN'T!!!" Gentai yelled loudly and Sora recoiled a bit. "How much blood do I have on my hands?! How many people have I killed?!" Gentai's body was shaking and Sora finally understood why Gentai had seemed so conflicted before. "Don't you get it, Sora?! We all thought we could be decent men, in an indecent time! A time where there is darkness to plague our lives! A time where we still have to fear the darkness!"

"But if you fight with us, then we don't have to fear the darkness!" Sora yelled, trying to reason with this boy. "Come back, Gentai!"

"How can you ask that of me?! After everything, I was the only one who had everything taken from me! I was the one who caused a reign of chaos the likes of which these worlds have never seen and you ask me to come back." A tear slid down Gentai's cheek and his body started shaking harder. He began to sob. "No…I wanted to be a hero, I really did, but now I know that for me, there's no such thing."

"There is if you strive for it." Riku answered, his voice having gained the strength to speak to him. Gentai shook his head.

"No…not for me…not anymore. All that's left for me and my legacy is to make sure I can end the darkness…" There was silence that pervaded the halls after he spoke those words. "WITH ME!!!" Suddenly, before anyone in the room could stop him he shifted his Keyblade around and stabbed himself in the heart, like Sora had done with the dark Keyblade eight years ago.

"NO!!!" The other three that were standing in the room yelled as Gentai's heart began to be enveloped in shimmering light. Gentai's hands slackened on his Keyblade and it fell out, vanishing into thin air as soon as it left, knowing that its wielder was gone. Gentai smiled and began to embrace the blissful plane of death.

_I'm sorry for all I've done…_he thought to himself. But before his body was carried away to blissful oblivion, one more thought entered his head: _I'm coming…Demora._ Then the light grew and everyone shielded their eyes as it reached its peak and at last faded away. When the light receded, Gentai was gone, vanished from the worlds and all the wielders there knew that the Unbirths, too, had fled from the castle, sensing their master's defeat. Riku stood up on his own; his strength returned and looked around. He hung his head.

"He couldn't deal with life…so he left it for the madness of death." Riku breathed out and he shook his head. "We won the battle…but we lost the war."

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Well, there we have it. Gentai is gone at last and I'm actually rather sad. I'm sorry Captain A, Gentai didn't really live to see the end. But still! This is not the final chapter, we have one more to go before this story ends and I promise it will be this week. I really hope you enjoyed the battle since I had been choreographing it in my head for a very long time. I also thought that Kingdom's Crown and Two Across would be potent for what they represent ultimately. Yes, I made Sora wield two Keyblades because it's about damn time! Now then, I have one point to address: at the beginning of Part II (about a month ago) I asked all of you to think about whether Gentai or any of the characters became heroes. The time is come for you to think of that in context for all my characters, from Sora to Riku to Kairi to Edge, even Demora. While you may not be able to form true opinions till next chapter I still would like to know what you think. As for the title of this chapter, you'll find out why I called it that next chapter. Until then, pretty please review, and Dare to Be Silly.

Captain A: I'd appreciate if you would review both chapters in seperate reviews...thank you.


	21. Chapter 45: Take Your Place

**DISCLAIMER: For the last time in this extremely long and CONVOLUTED story, I DON'T own Kingdom Hearts. I wish and pray to God I did, but I don't. Nor do I really own part of the last scene of this novel (teaser....).**

* * *

Chapter 45

Take Your Place

"_They want us to be the guardians of their destiny."_

-King Mickey Mouse

_One Month Later…_

Riku looked at the faint, pink tinge that was settling on the horizon. He leaned over the railing of his balcony and sighed to himself. It was in the early hours of the morning but Riku was no longer tired. He would always wake up to see the dawn fast approaching. I was certainly nice, being able to wake up in the morning and exit out onto a balcony from his quarters. But that was the way life was now in Crown Fortress and the Order of the Crown. They had spent a few weeks repairing and cleaning up the entire fortress to make its living quarters inhabitable and a place where they could train new Keyblade wielders.

Already, they were gathering them and the Order, which had once been the size of only fifty had now grown to a hundred. Never had Riku known so many Keyblade wielders to exist at once…but then again, he figured this was probably only a fraction of the number to have existed during the time of the Round of the Crown. He chuckled to himself. Never, in a million years did he ever think he would be doing this. He sighed to himself as he saw the sky brighten up a bit more. Just another hour and the people in the Order, generals and apprentices alike, would be waking up to begin their daily routines of training. Some would even be sent off once again to the worlds where there were rumors of Unbirth sightings and attacks. Riku shook his head and closed his eyes, remembering the events that had gotten him here.

After Gentai had disappeared in Crown Fortress a month ago, the three Keyblade wielders had dragged themselves from that fortress back to Disney Castle. They were beaten, weathered, and torn. Gentai had done some nasty things…razing and destroying worlds to name a few. But rather than join them, even in all of his pain at such actions, he had sacrificed himself. That was why they didn't answer the king when they had returned. He asked them where Gentai was…and no one had responded.

The next day, when their grief had somewhat lifted, their spirits had been somewhat restored, and their fatigue had washed away from their bones, they met with Mickey, Donald, Goofy…and in fact the entire Disney Castle Court in addition to Yen Sid in the Audience Hall. He laughed to himself as he remembered that Sora had said, "We're back where we started…but look how much we've lost." That was why they took their seats at the table.

They told the story. The story of their adventures through the worlds. The story that very few people would know in its entirety save for these words on a page. It began with their hunt for the Huntsman, to Sora's encounter with Edge on the Tung-Shao Pass. It chronicled Kairi's kidnapping and Sora's subsequent rescue of her. It covered how Maleficent had returned to Enchanted Dominion to wreak havoc…and ultimately failed due to the intervention of both Riku and Gentai. The destruction of Maleficent's Hellfire Club was told, as well as the desolation of Agradar and the twisting of Gentai's soul which caused him to commit atrocities on the world. They even added in the story of Edge and of his two noble sacrifices. Then it came the time to tell everyone of Gentai's sacrifice.

"Then he just stabbed himself and in a flash of light he was gone." Sora finished and he hung his head. The Audience Hall was completely silent, so silent that not even the shifting of position in a chair could be heard. Though not all of them knew Gentai directly, or they had known what he had done, they were still burdened by the loss.

"But why…why did he go and do somethin' like that?" Mickey said in a very disheartened voice.

"It's not like it did any good…" Riku spat out, angry at Gentai for being so selfish. And yet he was more angry with himself that he had not been able to stop Gentai's rampage of madness before it had gotten too far and too out of hand. Yen Sid, however, had something more to say.

"Perhaps at this moment it appears that it did not do good." Yen Sid said and every single head in the Audience Hall turned to face him. "As you all know, Gentai's heart is filled with only light. No darkness existed in that space of his heart. The only male since Windsor."

"Well…yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" Kairi asked Yen Sid, wondering why the constitution of Gentai's heart would have anything to do with why he had sacrificed himself. Yen Sid bowed his head.

"You see, Gentai had come to visit me in the days following the destruction of Radiant Garden, Twilight Town, and Destiny Islands." Yen Sid said and there was a collective gasp of shock around the table. Sora was about to put forth his query but Yen Sid held up a hand to silence him. "I did not restrain him because I knew it would have no purpose…his heart was too set." At this moment, Yen Sid stood up and began to pace up and down the table. "Eight years ago, you were told by Xehanort's Heartless that his Keyblade held the power to unlock people's hearts. This is true…but only the darkness in peoples' hearts.

"Your Keyblades however, hold the power to unlock the light in peoples' hearts. Thus it is, that were you to stab yourself in the heart with one then your heart would release all the light it has to offer. Because Gentai's heart held no darkness his body was completely broken, leaving behind nothing. That heart, as I had suspected, fragmented into many pieces of light that shattered and attached themselves to all the hearts in the entire universe."

"But…what does that mean for us?" Sora asked confusedly, not exactly sure where this entire story was going. Yen Sid looked at the three youngest Keyblade wielders at the table and inclined his head toward them.

"With Gentai's self-sacrifice he banished the darkness from all but the most twisted and foul of hearts. Only people like Maleficent still yet have darkness in their hearts. But it is very little, and cannot grow. In fact, it is so little that Heartless had no darkness on which to feed and so disappeared." Yen Sid now looked at Sora directly. "Seven years ago I had told you, Sora, that while darkness existed in a single heart it would be difficult to eliminate the darkness."

"Gawrsh! I remember that!" Goofy yelled out. "Then I suggested that if everybody's hearts were full of light the Heartless would go away!"

"That is correct. And that is what Gentai did. He eliminated the true darkness in all our hearts, thus vanquishing both the Heartless and the Nobodies." Yen Sid answered all of them with a smile.

"But what about the Unbirths?" Kairi asked tentatively and Yen Sid's smile soon changed to a frown.

"I am afraid…that they still live on." Yen Sid answered her gravely and once more a gloom fell over the table. "While Maleficent, who still exists, cannot enter this castle because of her still twisted soul, cannot control the Unbriths, she is nevertheless sustaining them."

"Then I guess we still have to find and eliminate Maleficent, huh?" Riku asked while gritting his teeth. To this, Yen Sid shook his head.

"She is of no concern anymore. Her power is broken as the Heartless are gone. I doubt she will learn to control the Unbirths. No…You're quest is over. Sora and Kairi shall take up their mantles as King and Queen of Radiant Garden and you, Riku…" Yen Sid trailed off, more of asking Riku what he would do than anything else. Riku thought for a moment. Sora had mentioned that Edge had bequeathed the Order to the three of them. But because Sora and Kairi were going to rule Radiant Garden, then that meant…

"I'm going to rule the Order in Edge's stead." Riku said. "I don't care what opposition there is, I will lead them." Yen Sid nodded, satisfied with Riku's answer.

And that was what had brought him here. Sora had introduced him personally to Marcus, Antonio and Donato. Together, the four of them worked quickly (along with King Mickey's help of course) to secure Riku's leadership as commandant of the Order. Thus it was, that Riku's first action was to move the entire Order into Crown Fortress. This scared a great many people within the Order, but Riku had quickly established himself as a strong leader and even the troublesome people that had been mentioned (such as Onyx and Cothius) were powerless to refute his orders. He and the Order…no, _his_ Order, quickly began to restore Crown Fortress to what he assumed it was back in the old days. On the second day of their clean up there, Riku called his first meeting of the generals. This had Riku understand why it was called the Order of the Crown, since at the start of every general meeting, the other nine generals would use their Keyblades to make all the points of a crown, and Riku would use his own Keyblade to light the crown up fully.

Regardless, at the first meeting he was able to quickly ascertain their allegiance. Matthias, possibly the oldest member of their group supported Riku fully, confiding to the twenty three year old that he had been coerced into keeping the Order stagnant because others wanted to save their skin. Lucas was also glad to have Riku at the head, and while he was one of the more scared generals, he still felt that what Riku was doing was right. Of the two women, only Miriam fully trusted Riku while Elizabeth was none too happy about putting her life on the line. _She might have to go…_Riku would think to himself. Of course, he knew that Onyx and Cothius provided the truest form of opposition, but that was to be expected. To counter that, he had the force of Marcus, Antonio, and Donato backing him.

Very soon after this meeting, the establishment of what the Order was in full came into being. They received an entire fleet of Gummi Ships (or at least the promise of one) for use at the castle and Riku immediately began a training program. With the help of Yen Sid, they had restored all the old tomes in the library for reading and pretty soon, Crown Fortress was shaping up to be something spectacular…and Riku knew things were going right for once. A few times he was worried about Maleficent and sent parties out to find her, he even joined them sometimes to look for her…but they never did find her. She was hidden, her power and sway over the worlds broken at last. So it was that, for the most part, Riku formed teams to protect sections of the worlds and stop any Unbirth attacks, who were currently divided and leaderless.

About a week after the meeting at Disney Castle however, Riku found himself standing near the Castle Gates in Radiant Garden. The castle was still being rebuilt from the explosion, but it was coming along nicely, and that day they were to witness the crowning of the first king since Ansem the Wise. Early in the morning, Sora and Kairi were at last married to each other, for which they were very happy (and Riku was sure they were even happier after they had consummated the marriage in the late hours of the morning) and in the afternoon they were crowned as King Sora and Queen Kairi of Radiant Garden…or as Riku liked to joke "King Sora the Lazy" and "Queen Kairi the Devious". This warranted hits from the younger two Keyblade wielders after Riku's toast at the reception. Riku had chuckled at that too…

Sora had wasted no time in beginning to set things right in his government. Leon was named as his personal advisor and second in command on his council. This was not the mention that he was named as the Captain of the Knights of Radiant Garden. Ironically, most of Sora's royal council consisted of members of the Restoration Committee. Sora also personalized Tron a bit more and Kairi even assisted him in "tickling" the poor computer program. Riku knew they would be fine on their own as they rebuilt Radiant Garden again. It did hurt him that he wasn't marrying anyone…but he knew he had more important things to do. And besides, he still was as important as Sora since, just like Radiant Garden, he answered to King Mickey alone.

Regardless, he had set about rebuilding everything the best that he could. The generals were no longer slovenly, lazy, cowards who would run away from a fight but were shaping up to soon be a committed and hardened fighting force. In fact, of all the people who made their way into the worlds to fight the Unbirths, Riku stuck the generals out there first in order for them to get a feel of what the fighting was really like that. It proved successful and even helped to garner them more Keyblade wielders who had been hiding dormant in the worlds. To this extent, Riku was content.

But elsewhere in his mind, he was still troubled. It wasn't due to the fact that Sora had contacted him but a day before to tell him that Kairi was already pregnant, but something else that was lurking on his mind. What if Edge hadn't died? Would things have turned out different? He knew that it didn't matter to think things like that since the past could never be changed. But that didn't stop him from visiting Sunset Horizons to see whether Edge's or Gentai's Keyblades had appeared there…they never did. Riku himself felt pain at the loss but he knew he couldn't be burdened by it if he was to lead the order effectively.

Staring out over the balcony in the morning was something he did in order to remove his mind and heart of all hurtful things for the day. Xehanort was gone from inside of him…so he didn't need to worry about that. But every day it was something different. And today, it was Gentai's sacrifice from so long ago. Had it only been a month? A month…and he had come so far. He had made Crown Fortress inhabitable, was training a new generation of Keybearers, and felt at least decent inside to boot. But constantly his thought turned to one question that Gentai had asked him so long ago: "Do you think I could ever be a hero like you or Sora?"

Gentai had made mistakes, there was no doubt about it. To many people he was probably considered a rogue and a villain. But Riku's thoughts always turned to what Yen Sid had said about Gentai eliminating the Heartless and Nobodies. he had sacrificed himself…when he could have continued on, he killed himself to free the worlds from such evil darkness. _Yes_, Riku thought to himself as the sun at last showed itself over the horizon, _I think you're a hero Gentai…even if no one else sees it._ Riku sighed to himself. They had come so far in such a short time…but Riku knew that the long haul was still ahead of them.

The dawn had come at last…but the day was still a long ways off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gentai lay in a blank realm, his eyes closed but his mind racing. Nothing surrounded him, nothing pressed in on him…and yet, at the same time everything was. All the thoughts of his past life and everything he had done to the worlds, to those he had called his friends, and whether it had been worth it. His eyes suddenly snapped open. He saw nothing but inky blackness and yet he also saw a milky white. Was he dead? He must have been or else he would probably be feeling immense pain. But one question really plagued his mind: was this Heaven or was this Hell? He tried to get up, but found himself constrained by something.

"Go to sleep…" a quiet, female voice called out to him, but it sounded as if it was three voices at once. Gentai gasped.

"Who's there?!" Gentai yelled but there came no response immediately. Gentai tried to struggle but found himself now completely unable to move.

"That is unimportant." the female voice at last responded, but Gentai shouted out with another question.

"Where am I?" Gentai asked, his panic level beginning to rise at being unable to move. But when the voice next spoke, it did not answer his question.

"Darkness from long past I emerging once again into the Realm of Light." the voice said, and somehow, Gentai felt his tension melt away. "But your work will not be undone…that is why we must counteract it with light…your light."

"My…light?" Gentai questioned, utterly confused as to what the voice could mean.

"Yes…your light will be the balance to the darkness. But for now, you must sleep." the voice commanded, but it was not angrily or oppressively. The voice had said it rather softly and Gentai wanted to. But he knew that he hadn't been able to sleep in forever, and he certainly wouldn't be able to here.

"But…I can't-" Gentai attempted to say but the voice cut him off once again.

"Sleep…" And the voice repeated the word until Gentai at last closed his eyes. "That's right, sleep, my duckling." Gentai felt himself slipping away. And then he heard last words from the voice before he drifted into the first sleep that he had had in months, the sleep that would take all the pain away from him, lift the burden that had been weighing him down and keeping his eyes open. Those last words were:

"The time is not yet come for night to fall." And with that, Gentai slept at last.

THE END

**

* * *

**

Author's Note: Well, there it is! The ending! The "Complete" sign is not a lie! After three months I am at last finished with this project. So, what did you think of the chapter? All of it? What about the story as a whole? I know this chapter seemed more like an epilogue but I refuse to do an epilogue until the series is finished. So therefore, the time is come to tell me of two things: 1) Who you believed was a true hero in all the events that played out here? 2) How are my characterizations going along? In any case, I will give a posting of _**Fear of the Darkness**_** sometime before mid-April. I already have the exact date in my mind so you'll have to wait till then for the final installment of The Existence Trilogy. I know you're wondering about the end but you can deal…and you can also put me on some kind of Author Alert for the next story. In any case, please review, and always, always, ALWAYS remember, now and forever, Dare to Be Silly.**

**P.S. Oh yes, a thanks to Lord Moldybutt and Captain A for their wonderful and helpful reviews during this very political portion of my story. And a thank you to hydra man (can't put that last part in apparently)for reviewing.**


End file.
